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as in valiant
feeling or displaying no fear by temperament stout souls who boldly ventured forward, not knowing what kinds of danger they faced

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word stout different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of stout are stalwart, strong, sturdy, tenacious, and tough. While all these words mean "showing power to resist or to endure," stout suggests an ability to endure stress, pain, or hard use without giving way.

stout hiking boots

When can stalwart be used instead of stout?

While the synonyms stalwart and stout are close in meaning, stalwart suggests an unshakable dependability.

stalwart environmentalists

Where would strong be a reasonable alternative to stout?

In some situations, the words strong and stout are roughly equivalent. However, strong may imply power derived from muscular vigor, large size, structural soundness, intellectual or spiritual resources.

strong arms
the defense has a strong case

When would sturdy be a good substitute for stout?

The words sturdy and stout can be used in similar contexts, but sturdy implies strength derived from vigorous growth, determination of spirit, solidity of construction.

a sturdy table
people of sturdy independence

When might tenacious be a better fit than stout?

The words tenacious and stout are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, tenacious suggests strength in seizing, retaining, clinging to, or holding together.

tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life

When is tough a more appropriate choice than stout?

The meanings of tough and stout largely overlap; however, tough implies great firmness and resiliency.

a tough political opponent

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stout Saturday’s win did not come easily, despite Seton Hall (7-22; 2-16 in conference play) owning the Big East’s lowest-scoring offense and St. John’s boasting the conference’s stoutest defense. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2025 Herro, Adebayo, Wiggins and Mitchell are a stout quartet to build on, to add to. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025 That’s without even mentioning Michigan State’s stout, physical defense, which has the fifth-best 3-point defense in the country, as well as a top-25 block percentage. Cj Moore, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025 San Diego State basketball has made a name for itself in recent years off the back of a stout defense. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stout
Adjective
  • Potassium helps produce sturdy plants and increases plants’ resistance to stress but overapplication of potassium (and too much of any nutrient) can cause other necessary nutrients to become unavailable to the plant.
    Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025
  • As professional travelers, pilots and flight attendants have an eye for high-quality and sturdy luggage.
    Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Cooper concluded that a megalodon would have been a stocky, powerful shark—measuring some 52 feet (16 meters) in length with a body mass of 67.86 tons—able to execute bursts of high speed to attack prey, much like the significantly smaller great white shark.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2025
  • But the stocky, six-foot-two Aucklander’s addition to the predictions has sparked the bookmakers’ interest.
    Julia Ranney, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Among the many tributes her colleagues pay her valiant war effort, there is one that screams from the pages of her book.
    Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The rest of the episode shows the Current’s valiant efforts despite the loss in the NWSL semifinals against Orlando.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Medicaid recipients Jessica Martinez and Ana Medina Garcia, cancer survivors and recipients of Medicaid, and Emma Larson, who received a lifesaving treatment for her spinal muscular atrophy due to a reimbursement from the National Institutes of Health, were also invited by Schumer.
    Nik Popli, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Schumer also extended an invitation to Emma Larson, who received treatment for her spinal muscular atrophy due to a reimbursement from the National Institutes of Health, as well as Jessica Martinez and Ana Medina Garcia, recipients of Medicaid from New York.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Still, in a game that featured an abundance of high-level basketball, even a solid game from Brown might have been enough.
    Jay King, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The silver lining was that even though COST didn’t reclaim its all-time, 2022 highs until December 2023, short-term oversold conditions still led to solid buying opportunities along the way.
    Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Given that avocado trees are hardy only in USDA Zones 9 to 11, many of us grow them in containers and bring them indoors for the winter.
    Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2025
  • This tender perennial is hardy in zones 9 and up, and treated as an annual elsewhere.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Some species provided not just materials but sustenance: edible cambium (a layer between the bark and the wood), plump and sweet in the spring—considered a famine food by some groups and a delicacy by others.
    Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The formula is chock-full of humectants, which draw moisture into the skin to leave it feeling hydrated and plump.
    Zoë Weiner, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Her courageous work in eastern Ukraine stands in direct contrast to Trump and Putin, who heap praise on each other and ignore the devastation to Ukraine, an ignorance that not even death and injury to women and children can penetrate.
    Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The book’s premise revolves around Zachary, a courageous eight-year-old diagnosed with a terminal pediatric cancer, who has an enlightening dream where God approaches him with a mission.
    Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stout. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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