Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; impassive.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Heavy; dull; stupid; not easily moved; lacking in or destitute of susceptibility; denoting dullness or impassiveness: as, a stolid person; a stolid appearance.
  • Synonyms Doltish, wooden.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Hopelessly insensible or stupid; not easily aroused or excited; dull; impassive; foolish.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin stolidus, stupid; see stel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin stolidus ("foolish, obtuse, slow").

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Examples

  • As Jess untied the Queen and helped her down, she saw Brian working hard to keep his expression stolid, to maintain the professional unseeing look all the guardsmen had long perfected.

    Zombies vs. Unicorns Justine Larbalestier 2010

  • From the label a stolid farmer smiled at her, the image as outdated as the 1950s Betty Crocker.

    A Lincoln Rhyme eBook Boxed Set Jeffery Deaver 2001

  • Joe asked, his expression stolid, only his eyes showing his nervous tension as he continually glanced from side to side, making certain nothing could creep up on them.

    Chrome Circle Lackey, Mercedes 1994

  • Joe asked, his expression stolid, only his eyes showing his nervous tension as he continually glanced from side to side, making certain nothing could creep up on them.

    Omnibus Lackey, Mercedes 1993

  • She stared at him in stolid wonder, but her only reply was to hold the door wider and say: "Come in an 'set wun't ye?"

    The Mystery at Number Six 1922

  • But though young, I was neither nervous nor imaginative; I was inclined to be what is termed stolid, that is to say, extremely matter-of-fact and practical.

    Scottish Ghost Stories Elliott O'Donnell 1918

  • As she stood there in stolid embarrassment polishing the shiny bar, Miss Levering clutched the tray to steady it, and with the other hand she pulled the pillow higher.

    The Convert 1907

  • She swallowed bile and willed the pill to dissolve faster, sneaking a glance at her fellow commanding officers, all arrayed around the readout in stolid contemplation. “Looks like the blast points were precise, ” one of the men observed, pointing out charred circles on the readout with his stylus. “They maximized human casualties rather than structural damage. ” “That makes sense, ” a blue-eyed woman replied. “That†™ s one of the few plants that isn†™ t automated.

    365 tomorrows » J. Loseth : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2007

  • She swallowed bile and willed the pill to dissolve faster, sneaking a glance at her fellow commanding officers, all arrayed around the readout in stolid contemplation. “Looks like the blast points were precise, ” one of the men observed, pointing out charred circles on the readout with his stylus. “They maximized human casualties rather than structural damage. ” “That makes sense, ” a blue-eyed woman replied. “That†™ s one of the few plants that isn†™ t automated.

    365 tomorrows » 2006 » March : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2006

  • " Joe asked, his expression stolid, only his eyes showing his nervous tension as he continually glanced from side to side, making certain nothing could creep up on them.

    The Chrome Borne Lackey, Mercedes 1993

Comments

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  • a word that looks like its meaning, in my opinion

    July 20, 2007

  • See Bed.

    July 21, 2007

  • While stolido, in Italian, means idiot.

    September 9, 2008

  • Stiff in midsummer green, the stolid hillsides

    March with their trees, dependable and stanch,

    Except where here and there a lawless maple

    Thrusts to the sky one red, rebellious branch.

    - Louis Untermeyer, 'Rebels'.

    September 22, 2009