adamant

[ ad-uh-muhnt, -mant ]

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adjective

utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals, urgings, etc.
too hard to cut, break, or pierce.

noun

any impenetrably or unyieldingly hard substance.
a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness, formerly sometimes identified with the diamond.

Origin of adamant

First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Old French adamaunt, from Latin adamant- (stem of adamas ) “hard metal (perhaps steel), diamond,” from Greek, equivalent to a- a-⁶ + -damant- verbal adjective of damân “to tame, conquer”; replacing Old English athamans (from Medieval Latin ) and Middle English aymont, from Middle French aimant, from unattested Vulgar Latin adimant-, from Latin

Other words for adamant

1	inflexible, rigid, uncompromising

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Opposites for adamant

1	flexible, easygoing, yielding

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Other words from adamant

ad·a·man·cy [ad-uh-muhn-see], /ˈæd ə mən si/, ad·a·mance, noun
ad·a·mant·ly, adverb
un·ad·a·mant, adjective

Words Nearby adamant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use adamant in a sentence

Even the most adamant Obamacare opponent must acknowledge, as Kasich has, that its coverage expansion has helped some people.
John Kasich: The GOP’s Hobbled 2016 Dark Horse | W. James Antle III | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They are also as adamant about the tone they want to strike.
Inside the Political Fun House: How ‘Alpha House’ Became Amazon’s First Big Hit | Kevin Fallon | October 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They are adamant that their women-only concerts are not a result of religious rules.
The Sisterhood of Bulletproof Stockings: It’s Ladies’ Night for Hasidic Rockers | Emily Shire | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Despite all the visual cues which might suggest otherwise, Manning was adamant that he was not trying to promote himself.
‘Crazy’ Harlem Pastor Hates on Obama and Gays | Olivia Nuzzi | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Many of the survivors were adamant that the fighters were made up of foreign nationals from all over the world.
Rape and Sexual Slavery Inside an ISIS Prison | Ford Sypher | August 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

He was strong; his will was adamant as the blade of Trenchefer; to save those dear ones a single pang—what would he not suffer!
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
Once he paused at the sealed door, and flung himself against it—adamant had scarce seemed firmer.
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
And how I thanked my God for the adamant bulwarks of coral that protected my ark from the fury of the treacherous seas!
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont | Louis de Rougemont
I went to General Kock and pleaded with him, but he was adamant.
My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War | Ben Viljoen.
He moistened his lips, and glanced at her for succor, but she was adamant.
Mr. Opp | Alice Hegan Rice

British Dictionary definitions for adamant

adamant

/ (ˈædəmənt) /

adjective

unshakable in purpose, determination, or opinion; unyielding
a less common word for adamantine (def. 1)

noun

any extremely hard or apparently unbreakable substance
a legendary stone said to be impenetrable, often identified with the diamond or loadstone

Origin of adamant

Old English: from Latin adamant-, stem of adamas, from Greek; literal meaning perhaps: unconquerable, from a- 1 + daman to tame, conquer

Derived forms of adamant

adamantly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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