Stoic

[stoh-ik]

adjective

1. of or relating to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity.

2. stoic. Often stoical characterized by a calm, austere fortitude befitting the Stoics, especially in the face of trouble or loss; not giving in to one’s emotions.

   I'm normally pretty stoic about goodbyes.

   At first, the artist’s father remained stoic about her success, barely reacting when she won the award.

noun

1. a member or adherent of the Stoic school of philosophy.

2. stoic, a person who maintains or affects the mental attitude advocated by the Stoics.

   She's such a stoic—she's suffering, but she never says a word about it.

Stoic

¹

/ ˈstəʊɪk /

noun

1. a member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium, holding that virtue and happiness can be attained only by submission to destiny and the natural law

adjective

1. of or relating to the doctrines of the Stoics

stoic

²

/ ˈstəʊɪk /

noun

1. a person who maintains stoical qualities

adjective

1. a variant of stoical

Other Word Forms

• non-Stoic adjective
• unstoic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stoic¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin Stōicus, from Greek Stōikós, equivalent to stō- (variant stem of stoá stoa ( def. ) ) + -ikos -ic ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stoic¹

C16: via Latin from Greek stōikos, from stoa the porch in Athens where Zeno taught

Example Sentences

“Conservatives believe in stoic, grin-and-bear-it approaches to pain. They believe people should push through pain despite discomfort in order to get back to work.”

From Salon

She was stoic about grief and showed - publicly at least - extraordinary strength in the face of a number of traumatic experiences.

From BBC

His stoic stares on screen lent themselves to so many jokes that newspapers wrote articles about it.

From BBC

England still have work to do in order to win the fourth Test after some stoic India resistance on the fourth day at Old Trafford.

From BBC

He was stoic in the mixed zone but fantastically fluent in the language of Test match rugby.

From BBC

Related Words

• aloof 
• apathetic 
• detached 
• impassive 
• indomitable 
• long-suffering 
• matter-of-fact 
• sober 
• unemotional 
• unflappable