mulish
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mulish
Explanation
If someone calls you mulish, they don't mean that you look like a mule; they mean that you are as stubborn as a mule. Act more open-minded, and no one will call you mulish. You might know from the mulish expression on your sister's face that there's no way you can convince her to give you a ride to school, and a politician's mulish refusal to debate her opponent might end up hurting her on voting day. Mulish behavior is inflexible and opinionated. When you're mulish, you're as stubborn as the famously stubborn mule, an animal that's had this reputation since at least the fifteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing mulish
Resistance is Futile: Synonyms for "Stubborn"
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The Nickel Boys
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Summer of the Mariposas
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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.
This grass-colored liqueur, with its bracing, vegetal taste and mulish kick, called Chartreuse after the Carthusian brothers of your order, is the closest thing you’ll ever experience to a magic potion.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2022
Maybe they weren’t just being mulish but were just tired.
From Washington Times ● May 5, 2021
Ms. Adams recalled a few occasions while shooting “Sharp Objects” when she tried out versions of Camille — spiky, mulish — during phone calls with her unsuspecting husband, the actor and artist Darren Le Gallo.
From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2018
By contrast, Ruby Thai Kitchen, with its mulish reliance on sweet, sad, suburban interpretations of Southeast Asian cooking, must be aware of its imminent extinction daily.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 26, 2015
“We should get back on the road to Abuelita’s house. And this is the fastest and safest way to get there. So stop being so mulish and get up here. Come on, everybody up.”
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
