adamantine
Americanadjective
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utterly unyielding or firm in attitude or opinion.
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too hard to cut, break, or pierce.
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like a diamond in luster.
adjective
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very hard; unbreakable or unyielding
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having the lustre of a diamond
Etymology
Origin of adamantine
First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English, from Latin adamantinus, from Greek adamántinos see adamant, -ine 1
Explanation
Something adamantine is unbreakable. Adamantine is often used in a figurative way. If you’re bound by adamantine chains, get comfy because you’re not breaking free! When someone is adamant, the person won't budge or yield. Anything adamantine is pretty much unbreakable and invulnerable. Adamantine substances also tend to be bright and shiny like diamonds. When used figuratively, adamantine can describe something unbreakable, like the adamantine will of a marathon runner.
Vocabulary lists containing adamantine
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.
Although in her youth Catherine had imbibed Enlightenment views about the suffering of the common people, she was pragmatic enough to leave undisturbed the adamantine ways of the Russian countryside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Amid the images of Putin’s atrocities, we’ve all seen evidence of the Ukrainians’ adamantine humor.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2022
He’s since backed off a bit from his adamantine opposition, but the core of his position was concern that the measure would add to inflation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2021
Its adamantine perfection is the perfectly unstable embodiment of a moment of unendurable consciousness—of an ideal that was still awaiting its transformative action.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 19, 2016
“The haunting begins at midnight,” said the girl with the adamantine chin.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
