impassive

  • 1impassive — impassive, stoic, phlegmatic, apathetic, stolid are comparable when they mean slightly if at all responsive to something that might be expected to excite emotion or interest or to produce a sensation. The distinctions to be drawn between these… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 2Impassive — Im*pas sive, a. Not susceptible of pain or suffering; apathetic; impassible; unmoved. [1913 Webster] Impassive as the marble in the quarry. De Quincey. [1913 Webster] On the impassive ice the lightings play. Pope. {Im*pas sive*ly}, adv. {Im*pas… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3impassive — [im pas′iv] adj. [< IN 2 + PASSIVE] 1. not feeling pain; not liable to suffering; insensible 2. not feeling or showing emotion; placid; calm impassively [im΄pə siv′ə tē] adv. impassivity [im΄pa siv′i tē] n. impassiveness …

    English World dictionary

  • 4impassive — index callous, controlled (restrained), dispassionate, impervious, inexpressive, inscrutable, insusceptible ( …

    Law dictionary

  • 5impassive — (adj.) 1660s, not feeling pain, from assimilated form of in not, opposite of (see IN (Cf. in ) (1)) + PASSIVE (Cf. passive). Meaning void of emotions is from 1690s. Related: Impassively; impassiveness (1640s) …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 6impassive — [adj] aloof, cool apathetic, callous, cold, cold blooded*, collected, composed, dispassionate, dry, emotionless, hardened, heartless, imperturbable, indifferent, indurated, inexcitable, inexpressive, inscrutable, insensible, insusceptible, matter …

    New thesaurus

  • 7impassive — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not feeling or showing emotion. DERIVATIVES impassively adverb impassiveness noun impassivity noun …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8impassive — [[t]ɪmpæ̱sɪv[/t]] ADJ GRADED If someone is impassive or their face is impassive, they are not showing any emotion. [WRITTEN] He searched Hill s impassive face for some indication that he understood... As the foreman of the jury announced the… …

    English dictionary

  • 9impassive — adjective Date: 1605 1. a. archaic unsusceptible to pain b. unsusceptible to physical feeling ; insensible c. unsusceptible to or destitute of emotion ; apathetic 2. giving no sign of feeling or emotion ; expressionless • …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 10impassive — adj. VERBS ▪ be, sit, stand ▪ become ▪ remain ADVERB ▪ completely, quite …

    Collocations dictionary