Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Enduring pain or hardship without showing feelings or complaining: Describes a person who remains calm and unemotional, especially in difficult situations.
   • Showing indifference to pleasure or pain: Characterized by a deliberate suppression of emotional reactions.

Usage

• The word "stoical" is used to describe a person's demeanor or attitude in the face of adversity. It implies a deliberate choice to endure without emotional display, often seen as a sign of strength or self-control.
• It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "was" or "remained").

Examples

• Adjective:
  • Despite the terrible news, she remained stoical and did not shed a tear.
  • His stoical acceptance of his fate impressed everyone at the hospital.
  • The soldiers were praised for their stoical endurance during the long march.

Advanced Usage

• "to be stoical about something": to accept a difficult situation without showing emotion.
  • He was remarkably stoical about losing the championship.
• Stoical can describe not just people, but also their behavior, silence, or expression.
  • She gave a stoical shrug when asked about the pain.

Variants and Related Words

• Stoic (adj/noun): Often used interchangeably with "stoical" as an adjective. As a noun, it refers to a person who follows the philosophy of Stoicism or who endures hardship patiently.
  • He maintained a stoic calm throughout the crisis. (adjective)
  • The ancient Stoics believed in controlling one's emotions. (noun)
• Stoicism (noun): The philosophy, or the quality, of enduring pain or hardship without complaint.
  • Her stoicism in the face of personal tragedy was admirable.

Synonyms

• Impassive: Not feeling or showing emotion.
• Unemotional: Not having or showing strong feelings.
• Phlegmatic: Having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition.
• Long-suffering: Having endured pain or trouble for a long time without complaint.

Antonyms

• Emotional: Readily showing feelings.
• Demonstrative: Showing feelings openly, especially of affection.
• Excitable: Easily excited.
• Melodramatic: Exaggeratedly emotional or theatrical.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Keep a stiff upper lip: To remain resolute and unemotional in the face of adversity. (This idiom conveys a similar idea to being stoical.)
  • True to his upbringing, he kept a stiff upper lip during the funeral.

Adjective

1. seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
   • stoic courage
   • stoic patience
   • a stoical sufferer