stiff-upper-lipped

adjective

Possessing a stiff upper lip; stoic.

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Meanings

adjectivestiff-upper-lipped (comparative more stiff-upper-lipped, superlative most stiff-upper-lipped)

comparative more stiff-upper-lipped · superlative most stiff-upper-lipped

  1. idiomaticPossessing a stiff upper lip; stoic.

    His stiff-as-a-board tranditionally ^([sic]) masculine good looks and constrained, stiff-upper lipped portrayal of Ed was a wonderful contrast to Fierstein's androgonous ^([sic]), physically mobile Arnold.

    1981 December 12, Andrea F. Loewenstein, “Gay Theatre Verité”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 21, page 10

Origin

From stiff upper lip + -ed.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

stiff-upper-lipped. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stiff-upper-lipped

MLA

“stiff-upper-lipped.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stiff-upper-lipped. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stiff-upper-lipped,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stiff-upper-lipped.

Source: stiff-upper-lipped on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.