headstrong

[hed-strawng, -strong]

adjective

1. determined to have one's own way; willful; stubborn; obstinate.

   a headstrong young man.

   Antonyms: docile, tractable

2. proceeding from or exhibiting willfulness.

   a headstrong course.

headstrong

/ ˈhɛdˌstrɒŋ /

adjective

1. self-willed; obstinate

2. (of an action) heedless; rash

Other Word Forms

• headstrongly adverb
• headstrongness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of headstrong¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, headstrong is from the Middle English word heedstronge. See head, strong

Synonym Study

See willful.

Example Sentences

The winner of senior badminton and table tennis competitions around the world, she is, at her core, an athlete — competitive, confident and, perhaps, a bit headstrong.

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This confounding and headstrong movie doesn’t reveal everything it’s after.

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What if those new military leaders round the table are more headstrong and less cautious than their dead predecessors?

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This classic Eastside story centers Ana García, a headstrong teen with educational aspirations, who is often at odds with her traditional, menopausal Mexican mother, Carmen.

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Riding those subterranean rails is Cora, a headstrong enslaved woman determined to find her freedom in the North and learn the fate of her disappeared mother.

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Related Words

• impulsive