obdurate

[ ob-doo-rit, -dyoo- ]
See synonyms for: obdurateobduratelyobdurateness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding.

  2. stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent: an obdurate sinner.

Origin of obdurate

1
1400–50; late Middle English obdurat<Latin obdūrātus (past participle of obdūrāre to harden), equivalent to ob-ob- + dūr(us) hard + -ātus-ate1

Other words for obdurate

Opposites for obdurate

Other words from obdurate

  • ob·du·rate·ly, adverb
  • ob·du·rate·ness, noun
  • un·ob·du·rate, adjective
  • un·ob·du·rate·ly, adverb
  • un·ob·du·rate·ness, noun

Words Nearby obdurate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use obdurate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obdurate

obdurate

/ (ˈɒbdjʊrɪt) /


adjective
  1. not easily moved by feelings or supplication; hardhearted

  2. impervious to persuasion, esp to moral persuasion

Origin of obdurate

1
C15: from Latin obdūrāre to make hard, from ob- (intensive) + dūrus hard; compare endure

Derived forms of obdurate

  • obduracy or obdurateness, noun
  • obdurately, adverb

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