stiff-necked

[ stif-nekt ]

adjective

1. having a stiff neck; having torticollis.
2. haughty and obstinate; refractory.

   Synonyms: pigheaded, willful, intractable, obstinate, stubborn

stiff-necked

adjective

1. haughtily stubborn or obstinate

Other Words From

• stiff·neck·ed·ly [stif, -, nek, -id-lee, -, nekt, -lee], adverb
• stiffnecked·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stiff-necked¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

Stiff necked and determined to make a name for himself at an early age, he took our quiet country life by storm.

From The Daily Beast

Bland was stiff-necked, vain, the sort to be brutal in retaliation for any fancied invasion of his rights.

From Project Gutenberg

This monster of self-righteousness, this stiff-necked beast, needs a big axe.

From Project Gutenberg

The Fowey men had certainly the defect of their qualities, being proud and stiff-necked under the successes that attended them.

From Project Gutenberg

This solidarity makes the common people very stiff-necked, in an excellent sense of the word.

From Project Gutenberg

I think it's infernal foolishness, and I wish the Mayo breed didn't have so much of that cursed stiff-necked conscience!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adamant
• determined
• hard-line
• hard-nosed
• immovable
• implacable
• inflexible
• intractable
• merciless
• obstinate
• relentless
• rigid
• ruthless
• single-minded
• staunch
• stubborn
• uncompromising
• unrelenting
• unwavering