bullheaded
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bullheaded
Explanation
If someone complains that you're bullheaded, they mean you're impossibly stubborn. Your bullheaded dog may refuse to jump in your car, not budging an inch no matter how hard you pull on her leash. When you call someone bullheaded, you're commenting on their obstinate nature, and maybe implying that they're not very smart. Your bullheaded friend probably tends to act without thinking. The word dates from the early 19th century, from the idea that a bull charges forward with strength and determination, but without any thought or contemplation.
Vocabulary lists containing bullheaded
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.
You’ll need bullheaded determination to excel in this week’s Slate News Quiz.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2025
Patterson should have died from a nasty superbug picked up in Egypt in 2015 — except Patterson is married to bullheaded epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2024
“This notion of bullheaded romantic persistence is a recurring cultural touchstone—countless movies, music and books celebrate the heroics of steadfast pursuit with admiration,” Valsthein says.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 26, 2023
For the duo, who are admittedly bullheaded about their vision, the future will look a lot like the present.
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2023
"A smart boy, but stubborn. That helm ... the others call him bullheaded, so he threw it in their teeth."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
