Definition

1. Noun:
   • Emotional unresponsiveness or impassiveness: The quality of being stolid; showing little or no emotion, animation, or interest, especially in situations that might typically provoke a reaction.
   • Dullness or lack of sensibility: A state of being unemotional, apathetic, or indifferent to pleasure, pain, or excitement.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • His stolidity in the face of the crisis surprised everyone. (His complete lack of emotional reaction during the crisis surprised everyone.)
  • The judge's stolidity was interpreted as impartiality. (The judge's impassive demeanor was seen as a sign of impartiality.)
  • She maintained an air of stolidity despite the good news. (She kept a calm, unemotional manner even after hearing the good news.)

Advanced Usage

• "A mask of stolidity": A deliberately maintained appearance of being unemotional.

  • He wore a mask of stolidity, but inside he was deeply troubled. (He presented an unemotional face, but he was actually very upset.)

• "To break through someone's stolidity": To finally provoke an emotional reaction from someone who is typically impassive.

  • The heartfelt plea finally broke through his usual stolidity. (The sincere request finally made him show some emotion.)

Variants and Related Words

• Stolid (adj): Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily excited or moved.

  • He was a stolid man who rarely smiled. (He was an impassive man who seldom smiled.)

• Stolidly (adv): In a stolid manner; impassively.

  • He stolidly accepted the criticism without comment. (He accepted the criticism with an impassive lack of reaction.)

Synonyms

• Impassivity: The quality of not feeling or showing emotion.
• Apathy: Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
• Phlegm: Calmness and composure, especially in difficult situations; also implies slowness to react.
• Indifference: Lack of interest, concern, or sympathy.

Antonyms

• Emotionality: The quality of being emotional or showing strong feelings.
• Excitability: The quality of being easily excited or agitated.
• Sensitivity: Quickness to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences; also, susceptibility to the attitudes or feelings of others.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• (As) stolid as an ox: Extremely impassive or unemotional, often implying a kind of stubborn dullness.
  • No matter what we said, he remained as stolid as an ox. (No matter what we said, he stayed completely unemotional and unmoved.)

Noun

1. an indifference to pleasure or pain
2. apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions