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

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

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

She is not a champion born, and bears few of a champion’s sins – arrogance, obstinacy, a sense of entitlement.

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 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

At this point I should confess I have a perverse patience for the U.S. tax code, not least because I marvel at the obstinacy of its idiom.

From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2024

“Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intention as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?”

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

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

This transfer was finally made, for Lucy had no small obstinacies and was glad to please her husband.

From Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

You know there are obstinacies in the world as well as mortalities, and thereto appertaining.

From The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1 of 2) by Sir Frederic G. (Frederic George) Kenyon

His business was a failure, partly because he dealt with a too rigid honesty, partly because of his unstable nature, which left him at the mercy of whims and obstinacies and airy projects.

From The Nether World by George Gissing

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