obstinacy

[ ob-stuh-nuh-see ]

/ ˈɒb stə nə si /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obstinacy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ob·sti·na·cies for 5.

the quality or state of being obstinate; stubbornness.

unyielding or stubborn adherence to one's purpose, opinion, etc.

stubborn persistence: The garrison fought on with incredible obstinacy.

resistance to cure, relief, or treatment, as a disease.

an instance of being obstinate; an obstinate act, viewpoint, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of obstinacy

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin obstinātia, derivative of Latin obstinātus (see obstinate); see -cy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for obstinacy

We need your opposition, your obstinacy rather than a united Europe.
German Newspaper Tells Britain To Stay in EU Because They Love The Royals|Tom Sykes|January 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it makes the pettiness and obstinacy on display in the U.S. over these negotiations all the more unseemly.
Fiscal Cliff Stalemate Needs Two-Party Solution|Daniel Gross|December 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Kennedy later said that his obstinacy in dealing with Nixon until it was too late was his single greatest regret.
A Short History of Health-Care Disasters|The Daily Beast|October 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
First, you will not see my mother dead through your obstinacy.
Wager of Battle|Henry William Herbert

Certainly it is obstinacy in error that makes the heretic, for a just God can punish only the adhesion of the will to error.
The Catholic World. Volume II; Numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.|E. Rameur
To cleave to the possibility of a physical explanation any longer is mere folly and obstinacy.
The Grey Room|Eden Phillpotts
Bethink you to what you expose yourself by obstinacy; I may no longer be able to protect you when the King returns.
The Chaplet of Pearls|Charlotte M. Yonge
But, instead of taking offence at my obstinacy, he was cordially pleased with the frankness of this little debate.
Memoirs To Illustrate The History Of My Time|Franois Pierre Guillaume Guizot

British Dictionary definitions for obstinacy

obstinacy

/ (ˈɒbstɪnəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies

the state or quality of being obstinate

an obstinate act, attitude, etc

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

Word Origin and History for obstinacy