obstinate
Americanadjective
-
firmly or stubbornly adhering to one's purpose, opinion, etc.; not yielding to argument, persuasion, or entreaty.
- Synonyms:
- pertinacious, refractory, inflexible, perverse, intractable, unbending, unyielding, obdurate, mulish
- Antonyms:
- tractable, submissive
-
characterized by inflexible persistence or an unyielding attitude; inflexibly persisted in or carried out.
obstinate advocacy of high tariffs.
-
not easily controlled or overcome.
the obstinate growth of weeds.
-
not yielding readily to treatment, as a disease.
adjective
-
adhering fixedly to a particular opinion, attitude, course of action, etc
-
self-willed or headstrong
-
difficult to subdue or alleviate; persistent
an obstinate fever
Related Words
See stubborn.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obstinate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin obstinātus (past participle of obstināre “to set one's mind on, be determined”), equivalent to ob- ob- + -stin-, combining form of stan- (derivative of stāre “to stand,” stand ) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When someone is beyond stubborn, use the word obstinate instead: "You obstinate old mule! Get out of my way!" While stubborn may have positive or negative connotations, obstinate is most definitely negative, because it implies a kind of hard-headed determination not to change your mind even when it might be best to rethink your position. "The obstinate Man does not hold Opinions, but they hold him," wrote Samuel Butler way back in the seventeenth century. The word still does the trick if you want a put-down for someone you think is being a pig-headed fool or a stick in the mud.
Vocabulary lists containing obstinate
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As an evocation of a remarkable figure, by turns obstinate and unexpectedly endearing, Longford’s book remains unsurpassed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
The guard was obstinate in refusing to provide one.
From Salon • Aug. 21, 2025
"Depending what mood I was in, or what mood he was in, I would think of a word that he might have been that day, like obstinate," he laughed.
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2024
He excelled at convincing even the obstinate to trust him.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2024
Song Po-po said that he had always been stubborn, and since his son-in-law had been executed as a counterrevolutionary, he had become even more obstinate and solitary.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
