adamant

[ ad-uh-muhnt, -mant ]

/ ˈæd ə mənt, -ˌmænt /

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.

Nearby words

adam's bridge, adam's cup, adam's-needle, adam-and-eve, adama, adamant, adamantane, adamantine, adamantine membrane, adamantinoma, adamawa

Origin of adamant

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

SYNONYMS FOR adamant

1 inflexible, rigid, uncompromising.

ANTONYMS FOR adamant

1 flexible, easygoing, yielding.

Related forms

ad·a·man·cy

[ad-uh-muhn-see] /ˈæd ə mən si/, ad·a·mance, nounad·a·mant·ly, adverbun·ad·a·mant, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for adamance

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

Derived Forms

adamantly, adverb

Word Origin for adamant

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

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