mulish

American  

[myoo-lish] / ˈmyu lɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or like a mule, as being very stubborn, obstinate, or intractable.

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mulish British  

/ ˈmjuːlɪʃ /

adjective

1. stubborn; obstinate; headstrong

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Other Word Forms

• mulishly adverb
• mulishness noun
• unmulish adjective

Etymology

Origin of mulish

First recorded in 1745–55; mule ¹ + -ish ¹

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.

Example Sentences

Freud’s preoccupations no longer look eccentric or mulish.

From Washington Post • Oct. 6, 2022

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

He paid a price for his mulish views.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2021

Maybe they weren’t just being mulish but were just tired.

From Washington Times • May 5, 2021

The right one, mulish, untouched, stares back dead at the lens.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee