stubborn

[ stuhb-ern ]

adjective

1. unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving:

   a stubborn child.

   Synonyms: obdurate, headstrong, unyielding, refractory, intractable, contrary

   Antonyms: tractable

2. fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute:

   a stubborn opponent of foreign aid.

   Synonyms: persevering

   Antonyms: irresolute

3. obstinately maintained, as a course of action:

   a stubborn resistance.

4. difficult to manage or suppress:

   a stubborn horse; a stubborn pain.

5. hard, tough, or stiff, as stone or wood; difficult to shape or work.

stubborn

/ ˈstʌbən /

adjective

1. refusing to comply, agree, or give in; obstinate
2. difficult to handle, treat, or overcome
3. persistent and dogged

   a stubborn crusade

Derived Forms

• ˈstubbornness, noun
• ˈstubbornly, adverb

Other Words From

• stubborn·ly adverb
• stubborn·ness noun
• pre·stubborn adjective
• un·stubborn adjective
• un·stubborn·ly adverb
• un·stubborn·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stubborn¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English stiborn(e), styborne, stuborn ; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of stubborn¹

C14 stoborne, of obscure origin

Synonym Study

Stubborn, dogged, obstinate, persistent imply fixity of purpose or condition and resistance to change. Stubborn and obstinate both imply resistance to advice, entreaty, remonstrance, or force; but stubborn implies more of innate quality and is the more frequently used when referring to inanimate things: stubborn disposition; stubborn difficulties. Dogged implies pertinacity and grimness in doing something, especially in the face of discouragements: dogged determination. Persistent implies having staying or lasting qualities, resoluteness, and perseverance: persistent questioning.

Example Sentences

Like him, I’ve hit the so-called “pandemic wall,” a malaise characterized by a slump in productivity, a foggy mind, and in my case, a stubborn case of hives that various doctors I’ve consulted attribute to stress.

From Quartz

Grieving at the way her mother, stubborn and self-sufficient all her life, spent her last confusing, unhappy days.

From Washington Post

The large funnel end scrapes thin layers of ice off in a few simple motions, while the thinner, meat-hammer-resembling end does serious damage to stubborn ice buildup.

From Popular-Science

Other features that might better prepare you for serious winters include a brush, the unconventional “magical” scraper design, an ergonomic scraper, a heated blade for stubborn ice, and even a built-in glove.

From Popular-Science

Yalow, born Rosalyn Sussman, described herself as a “stubborn, determined child” and an avid reader who developed an interest in math and chemistry.

From Science News

Some would call him stubborn for holding out on payoffs from the oil companies.

From The Daily Beast

Several stubborn ideas have steered much of the discourse around health care.

From The Daily Beast

His stubborn efforts to fulfill his dream have yet to pay off, but he carefully lists all the near misses.

From The Daily Beast

Most importantly, the biggest issue facing the country is our stubborn, stagnant unemployment.

From The Daily Beast

“I was always defiant and stubborn in everything I did,” he said late in life.

From The Daily Beast

This stubborn resistance lent all the more lustre to the piety of our benignant Rulers.

From Project Gutenberg

He would at once become stubborn and ugly, because he is not used to our quick, nervous, impatient ways.

From Project Gutenberg

Billy Woodchuck soon saw that Grandfather Mole was a stubborn old fellow.

From Project Gutenberg

For hours the issue hung in the balance, and at last even the stubborn Lefbvre began to think of retreat.

From Project Gutenberg

For I knew that thou art stubborn, and thy neck is as an iron sinew, and thy forehead as brass.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adamant
• determined
• dogged
• headstrong
• inflexible
• intractable
• ornery
• persistent
• perverse
• relentless
• rigid
• single-minded
• steadfast
• tenacious
• tough
• unshakable
• willful

More About Stubborn

Where does stubborn come from?

The origin of stubborn is itself fittingly stubborn, or “unreasonably obstinate.” We might assume stubborn is connected to stub, a “short, projecting part or remaining piece” that is often immovable and unyielding. But that just doesn’t seem to be true.

Stubborn is recorded around 1350–1400 and took such forms as stiborn(e), styborne, and stuborn. Beyond that, we just don’t really know. Thanks for nothing, stubborn.

Stubborn isn’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From.”

Did you know … ?

Some words that are very similar to stubborn include obstinate, dogged, and persistent.

Looking for other synonyms for stubborn? Head on over to Thesaurus.com for loads more. 

We usually consider stubbornness to be a bad quality of a close-minded person acting in some unreasonable way (such as a stubborn child) or refusing to change their mind (e.g., stubborn holdout). Stubborn is also used to describe inanimate things that refuse to budge or cooperate, as in a stubborn nail or stubborn belief.

The expression stubborn as a mule is used to describe an especially unwavering or uncooperative instance of stubbornness. The simile evokes the proverbial stubbornness of mules, who were once commonly used as draft animals.