What does the word stoic mean, and how can it be used in a sentence? This article covers the meaning of stoic and how to use it.
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Kevin
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March 20, 2022
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You may have heard someone who does not show much emotion described as stoic. What does this word mean, and where did it originate? This article will cover the meaning of stoic, the origins of the word stoic, how to use the word stoic in a sentence, translations of the word stoic, and synonyms and antonyms!
What Does the Word Stoic Mean?
According to UTM and Dictionary, the word stoic is an adjective that means passionless or unmoved by emotions. These people relate to the Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium.
Stoics believe that they are not necessarily emotionless but pursuing wisdom and self-control. Three of the most famous Roman stoic philosophers include Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, political advisor and playwright Seneca of Rome, and teacher Epictetus, who came from poverty. Aristotle and Plato were also stoics who believed in the natural order of things and the possession of the soul.
The four virtues of stoic philosophy are courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom. The Stoics can use logic to address distress or complaint without passion or grief. The doctrine of Stoicism focuses on natural law and urges submission to unavoidable necessity.
What Is the Origin of Stoic?
According to Your Dictionary, the word stoic has been used since Middle English comes from the Latin Stōicus or Stoicus. This word takes its roots from the Greek Stōikos, which originates from stoā poikilē or Ποικίλη Στοά in Ancient Greek. These translate to “Painted Porch,” which is where Zeno taught. These words come from stā– in Indo-European roots.
The Stoic school of philosophy began in roughly 300 BC when Zeno was introduced to the cynic philosopher Crates and a Megarian philosopher named Stilpo after being shipwrecked on his way to Athens. He journeyed to the Stoa Poikile, or Painted Portico, and began gathering others to discuss philosophy. Stoics were originally called the Zenonians.
How Can Stoic Be Used in a Sentence?
Stoic can refer to the philosophers or followers of Zeno, but it is typically used in a more general context. By studying the examples below, you can learn how to use this word in a general sense. After looking at these examples of stoic, try to come up with examples of your own.
He showed stoic courage in the face of danger and was awarded the Purple Heart upon his return from battle.
She had a lot of stoic patience when dealing with the misbehaving middle schoolers.
He was stoic in front of the crowd at the funeral but went home and wept after it was over.
The stoic young man found the ability to show emotion through theater, which led to an immense emotional breakthrough with his therapist.
What Are Translations of Stoic?
The concept of being stoic is present worldwide, especially since it originated from the Romans. If you are discussing philosophy with people who do not speak English, you can study this list of translations of stoic from Nice Translator. Then, you will be able to discuss the concept of being stoic with anyone!
- Finnish: tyyni
- Lithuanian: stoika
- Portuguese (Portugal): estóico
- Gujarati: સંસર્ગ
- Vietnamese: Kiên nhẫn
- Serbian: стоик
- Italian: stoico
- Ukrainian: стоїчний
- Korean: 금욕 주의자
- Hindi: उदासीन
- Spanish: estoico
- Arabic: رواقي
- Estonian: stoika
- Swedish: stoisk
- Russian: стекальный
- Amharic: እስቴክ
- Croatian: stoički
- Marathi: स्टॉइस
- Urdu: سٹوک
- Romanian: stoic
- Welsh: stoic
- Hungarian: sztoikus
- Polish: stoicki
- Latvian: stoisks
- Chinese (Taiwan): 斯托
- Basque: estoiko
- Indonesian: sangat tabah
- Malayalam: സികകം
- Portuguese (Brazil): estóico
- Catalan: estoic
- Slovak: stoický
- Hebrew: מאופק
- Filipino: stoic
- Chinese (PRC): 斯托
- Czech: stoický
- Dutch: stoïcijns
- Turkish: stok
- Thai: เป็นอันขาด
- French: stoïque
- German: stoisch
- Greek: στωικός
- Kannada: ಸ್ತೋತ್ರದ
- Japanese: ストイック
What Are Synonyms of the Word Stoic?
There are many synonyms of stoic that have different connotations. The word stoic has a fairly positive connotation, but some synonyms of stoic from Power Thesaurus have a negative connotation or neutral connotation.
If you are in a situation where you are trying to describe someone as stoic without using a positive connotation, you can opt to use one of these synonyms of stoic instead.
- affectless
- aloof
- apathetic
- callous
- calm
- cold-blooded
- composed
- cool
- could care less
- deadpan
- detached
- dispassionate
- dry
- dry-eyed
- emotionless
- enduring
- forbearing
- frigid
- hard-hearted
- impassible
- impassive
- impassive person
- imperturbable
- indifferent
- indomitable
- insensitive
- laid-back
- lethargic
- listless
- long-suffering
- matter-of-fact
- nonchalant
- numb
- passionless
- passive
- patient
- philosophic
- phlegmatic
- placid
- quiet
- reserved
- resigned
- self-controlled
- sober
- stoical
- stoically
- stolid
- tolerant
- uncomplaining
- unconcerned
- undemonstrative
- unemotional
- unemotional person
- unexcitable
- unfeeling
- unflappable
- uninterested
- unmoved
- unresponsive
What Are Antonyms of the Word Stoic?
If you know someone who is the opposite of stoic and is very excitable and enthusiastic, you can describe them using an antonym of stoic from Power Thesaurus.
- affecting
- ardent
- blazing
- bright blue
- burning
- clairvoyant
- compassionate
- complaining
- concerned
- curious
- demonstrative
- demonstrative about feelings
- disturbed
- dramatic
- ecstatic
- emotional
- emotive
- enthusiastic
- excitable
- exciting
- falling apart
- fanatical
- feeling
- fervent
- fervid
- fiery
- flaming
- glowing
- gung ho
- gushing
- histrionic
- hot-blooded
- impassioned
- maudlin
- mawkish
- melodramatic
- mushy
- overemotional
- overheated
- passional
- passionate
- perfervid
- reactive
- red-hot
- responsive
- romantic
- sensitive
- sentimental
- sympathetic
- touching
- vehement
- warm-blooded
- whiny
- zealous
Conclusion
The adjective stoic is most often used to mean passionless or emotionless. This word comes from the ancient Greek school of philosophy, which Zeno founded. Stoics believe in courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom and avoid feeling strong emotions.
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