adjective
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self-willed; obstinate
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(of an action) heedless; rash
Synonym Usage
See willful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of headstrong
First recorded in 1350–1400, headstrong is from the Middle English word heedstronge. See head, strong
Explanation
Headstrong describes something that's disobedient or willful. If you're headstrong, you want to do what you want to do. When you refuse to complete your homework because you want to watch a football game, you're being headstrong. A closer look at the word headstrong can give you a hint to its meaning — the combination of the words head and strong. You're determined to have your own way because you have a strong belief that your view — what you have in your head — is the best one. Being a headstrong person is not always a bad thing. Sometimes headstrong people make history because they fight traditional values or outdated rules that need to be changed.
Vocabulary lists containing headstrong
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Resistance is Futile: Synonyms for "Stubborn"
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Headstrong, queer and disinterested in Victorian pieties, she escaped her smothering Indianapolis family and headed to Chicago, where she hustled work as a bookseller and book reviewer.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025
Headstrong and ambitious, she "was a beacon of hope for many young people, especially women", a statement from Deputy President Paul Mashatile said.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2025
Headstrong, intelligent and determined, they often fled parental supervision at surprisingly young ages.
From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2020
Headstrong old-timers are still willing to endure it all because they’re “landed” – born to the land and bound to it for life.
From Time • Jan. 28, 2013
Headstrong, irascible, rude, he had a sharp tongue which he delighted in using; but he was known to be inflexibly honest, and was supposed to have great executive ability.
From Abraham Lincoln and the Union; a chronicle of the embattled North by Stephenson, Nathaniel W. (Nathaniel Wright)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
