obstinacy

American  

[ob-stuh-nuh-see] / ˈɒb stə nə si /

noun

• obstinacies
  plural

1. the quality or state of being obstinate; stubbornness.

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

3. stubborn persistence.

   The garrison fought on with incredible obstinacy.

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

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

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obstinacy British  

/ ˈɒbstɪnəsɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being obstinate

2. an obstinate act, attitude, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• obstinacies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of obstinacy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin obstinātia, from Latin obstinātus “determined” (adjective use of past participle of obstināre “to set one's mind on, be determined”; see obstinate) + -ia -y ³

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Explanation

Obstinacy is the quality of firmly sticking to your own viewpoint or desires. If you’ve ever watched a persistent two-year-old who wants something she’s been denied, you’ve witnessed obstinacy at its purest. Adults show obstinacy too of course, when they refuse to be moved or change their mind. Obstinacy can also refer to a situation or trait that is hard to overcome, as in the obstinacy of a physics problem that will not be solved or molasses that will not be stirred. Obstinacy is a noun for obstinate behavior — it can also be called bullheadedness, pigheadedness, willfulness, and plain old stubbornness.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obstinacy obstinacies

Brutal humor and obstinacy bind these malcontents together for almost 15 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025

Her obstinacy represents the larger unwillingness of those in power to listen to the public, digging their heels in rather than trying to maintain an air of understanding.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2025

In a 17-page order, Judge Chushcoff said the employee “demonstrated obstinacy in her search” that led the State Patrol to move to discipline her; however, Loftis said the employee “subsequently left our employ.”

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2024

Even more shocking were Rubiales and the Spanish federation’s steadfast attacks on Hermoso in the aftermath and their obstinacy that he had done nothing wrong, going so far as to call Hermoso a liar.

From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2023

Mostly he misses Jutta: her loyalty, her obstinacy, the way she always seems to recognize what is right.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

The play itself is full of the standard details and recognitions pf marriage: its conversational small change and domestic small changes, its emotional freezing and boiling points, male obstinacies and female whims.

From Time Magazine Archive

He has been used to overcoming the obstinacies of Nature; the human obstinacies of his new task intrigue him.

From Out To Win The Story of America in France by Coningsby Dawson

I have my obstinacies as mulish as other people's.

From The Mountebank by William John Locke

Tricks, peculation, obstinacies, vanities--after this war men will still be men.

From What is Coming? by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

She spoke softly, for she had already fully perceived that Mr. Critchlow must be managed with the tact which the capricious obstinacies of advanced age demanded.

From The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett

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