adjective
stolid
STAH-lid/ˈstɑːlɪd/
Calm and showing little emotion or excitement.
The young woman stays stolid as her companion delights in the gift.
Etymology
Latin stolidus meant, properly, “unmovable,” as well as dull or insensible. That lack of movement carries into emotional impassiveness: a stolid person shows little outward response.
In context
Then Leonard changed and became affectionate. This mood was a greater bore than the other, but Harold managed to bear it with stolid indifference.
More examples
- He listens to the surprising news with a stolid expression.
- Even the crowd's cheers fail to excite the stolid coach.
- My usually stolid brother beams when his daughter walks onstage.
Forms
stolid
stolidly adverb — In a calm, unemotional manner.
stolidity noun — A calm manner showing little emotion.
Similar words
- impassive
- Emphasizes an expression or manner that reveals no feelings.
- unemotional
- Describes little emotion without necessarily suggesting a steady temperament.
- stoic
- Emphasizes enduring pain or difficulty without complaint.