adamant

[ ad-uh-muhnt, -mant ]

adjective

1. utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals, urgings, etc.

   Synonyms: uncompromising, rigid, inflexible

   Antonyms: yielding, easygoing, flexible

2. too hard to cut, break, or pierce.

noun

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

adamant

/ ˈædəmənt /

adjective

1. unshakable in purpose, determination, or opinion; unyielding
2. See adamantine
   a less common word for adamantine

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ˈadamantly, adverb

Other Words From

• ad·a·man·cy [ad, -, uh, -m, uh, n-see], ad·a·mance noun
• ad·a·mant·ly adverb
• un·ad·a·mant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamant¹

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

Example Sentences

I was adamant about staying active as much as my body could endure.

From Essence.com

Barbara Bry, his opponent in the race, also a Democrat, was more adamant.

From Voice of San Diego

FDA regulators are adamant that a vaccine will not be approved until it is demonstrated to be safe and effective.

From Vox

Gordon points out that selectively cutting one out of three old growth trees can be a good thing by opening up more light, but he’s adamant that clear-cutting should no longer be allowed in Alaska.

From Popular-Science

The Postal Service has been adamant that it can handle a nationwide increase in voting by mail in the general election.

From ProPublica

Even the most adamant Obamacare opponent must acknowledge, as Kasich has, that its coverage expansion has helped some people.

From The Daily Beast

They are also as adamant about the tone they want to strike.

From The Daily Beast

They are adamant that their women-only concerts are not a result of religious rules.

From The Daily Beast

Despite all the visual cues which might suggest otherwise, Manning was adamant that he was not trying to promote himself.

From The Daily Beast

Many of the survivors were adamant that the fighters were made up of foreign nationals from all over the world.

From 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!

From Project Gutenberg

Once he paused at the sealed door, and flung himself against it—adamant had scarce seemed firmer.

From Project Gutenberg

And how I thanked my God for the adamant bulwarks of coral that protected my ark from the fury of the treacherous seas!

From Project Gutenberg

I went to General Kock and pleaded with him, but he was adamant.

From Project Gutenberg

He moistened his lips, and glanced at her for succor, but she was adamant.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• determined
• insistent
• intransigent
• resolute
• rigid
• stubborn
• uncompromising