obstinate

[ ob-stuh-nit ]

adjective

1. firmly or stubbornly adhering to one's purpose, opinion, etc.; not yielding to argument, persuasion, or entreaty.

   Synonyms: pertinacious, refractory, inflexible, perverse, intractable, unbending, unyielding, obdurate, mulish

   Antonyms: tractable, submissive

2. characterized by inflexible persistence or an unyielding attitude; inflexibly persisted in or carried out:

   obstinate advocacy of high tariffs.

3. not easily controlled or overcome:

   the obstinate growth of weeds.

4. not yielding readily to treatment, as a disease.

obstinate

/ ˈɒbstɪnɪt /

adjective

1. adhering fixedly to a particular opinion, attitude, course of action, etc
2. self-willed or headstrong
3. difficult to subdue or alleviate; persistent

   an obstinate fever

Derived Forms

• ˈobstinately, adverb

Other Words From

• obsti·nate·ly adverb
• obsti·nate·ness noun
• super·obsti·nate adjective
• super·obsti·nate·ly adverb
• super·obsti·nate·ness noun
• un·obsti·nate adjective
• un·obsti·nate·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of obstinate¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin obstinātus (past participle of obstināre “to set one's mind on, be determined”), equivalent to ob- ob- + -stin-, combining form of stan- (derivative of stāre “to stand,” stand ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of obstinate¹

C14: from Latin obstinātus, past participle of obstināre to persist in, from ob- (intensive) + stin-, variant of stare to stand

Synonym Study

See stubborn.

Example Sentences

Those who may have been obstinate about the vaccines when called by a pollster seem to have been a bit more flexible when called by their bosses.

From Washington Post

In Illinois, one parent was so obstinate in her refusal to properly wear her mask, she was arrested and banned from school grounds.

From The Daily Beast

While some people may face legitimate obstacles, others are just obstinate.

From Vox

Her call was greeted with skepticism by some who see unions as having been overly cautious or outright obstinate.

From Washington Post

In practice, though, it’s a mechanism that allows a lone obstinate voice to deny the majority the ability to govern.

From Time

Obstinate Pierre refuses to care about anything, even when a passing lion threatens to eat him.

From The Daily Beast

The president also learned that the Palestinians and the Arab states were every bit as obstinate as Netanyahu.

From The Daily Beast

The more the Republicans lose, the more stubborn and obstinate they become.

From The Daily Beast

It is the story of a village of unlikely Davids going up against a notoriously obstinate governmental Goliath.

From The Daily Beast

He predicted the embattled and obstinate leader will fall in a matter of days.

From The Daily Beast

The battle was for a long time maintained by both armies with obstinate energy.

From Project Gutenberg

Now this is what we call a "pursuit of knowledge under difficulties" of the most obstinate kind.

From Project Gutenberg

Obstinate as he was, the girl's frank honesty conquered the angry old man.

From Project Gutenberg

They are sometimes obstinate and are desperate fighters, squealing and neighing on all occasions.

From Project Gutenberg

The men in charge of the boat were slow and obstinate, and consequently it took a long time for all to get across the river.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adamant
• dogmatic
• headstrong
• inflexible
• intransigent
• recalcitrant
• steadfast
• tenacious
• unyielding
• willful