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. 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

Other Word Forms

• adamancy noun
• adamance noun
• adamantly adverb
• unadamant 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

But she is adamant that "if you put innovation at its core and leverage all the benefits that the country has I think Paraguay can be a superpower".

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The PR around the story from the SRU was a total mess, but Townsend is adamant that there is only upside for Scottish Rugby in all of this.

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Doncic is so adamant that this variety of experiences contributed to his success that his newly formed Luka Doncic Foundation recently commissioned a study to examine basketball training methodologies in the U.S. and the Balkans.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She’s adamant that what happened then has no comparison to what’s happening in Chicago now.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr. Sharabi is a man of adamant moral and spiritual strength.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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