Dictionary.com

obdurate

[ ob-doo-rit, -dyoo- ]
/ ˈɒb dʊ rɪt, -dyʊ- /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: obdurate / obdurately / obdurateness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding.
stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent: an obdurate sinner.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of obdurate

1400–50; late Middle English obdurat<Latin obdūrātus (past participle of obdūrāre to harden), equivalent to ob-ob- + dūr(us) hard + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM obdurate

Words nearby obdurate

obdormition, obdt., obduce, obduction, obduracy, obdurate, O.B.E., obeah, O beautiful for spacious skies, obeche, obedience
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to obdurate

adamant, callous, dogged, firm, fixed, hard, hard-boiled, hard-nosed, harsh, heartless, immovable, implacable, inexorable, inflexible, iron, mean, mulish, obstinate, perverse, relentless

Example sentences from the Web for obdurate

British Dictionary definitions for obdurate

obdurate
/ (ˈɒbdjʊrɪt) /

adjective

not easily moved by feelings or supplication; hardhearted
impervious to persuasion, esp to moral persuasion

Derived forms of obdurate

obduracy or obdurateness, nounobdurately, adverb

Word Origin for obdurate

C15: from Latin obdūrāre to make hard, from ob- (intensive) + dūrus hard; compare endure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Tired of Typos? Get Help Now!