obdurate

American  

[ob-doo-rit, -dyoo-] / ˈɒb dʊ rɪt, -dyʊ- /

adjective

1. unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding.

   Synonyms:

   inflexible, unbending, callous, obstinate, hard

   Antonyms:

   tractable, soft

2. stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent.

   an obdurate sinner.

   Synonyms:

   shameless, reprobate, unregenerate

   Antonyms:

   repentant, humble

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obdurate British  

/ ˈɒbdjʊrɪt /

adjective

1. not easily moved by feelings or supplication; hardhearted

2. impervious to persuasion, esp to moral persuasion

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Other Word Forms

• obduracy noun
• obdurately adverb
• obdurateness noun
• unobdurate adjective
• unobdurately adverb
• unobdurateness noun

Etymology

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 -ate ¹

Example Sentences

To the religious authorities in England in the early 16th century, an obdurate Oxford scholar became a public enemy.

From The Wall Street Journal

But encountering “Dark” now, something else stands out: There is no way for a viewer to know for certain whether the word is really written on the underside, beneath all that obdurate tonnage.

From Los Angeles Times

Jordan Clark and Kemar Roach ran down the overs with an obdurate partnership before the former was bowled by Vaughan for a 47-ball duck.

From BBC

During the New Deal, the most obdurate critics of Franklin Roosevelt’s policies were Democrats — Southern Democrats, to be sure, but his party members nonetheless — while among his most loyal supporters were liberal Republicans.

From Los Angeles Times

Its leader, Wayne LaPierre, was the face of obdurate resistance to regulations on firearms.

From Seattle Times