obstinate
Americanadjective
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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
- obstinately adverb
- obstinateness noun
- superobstinate adjective
- superobstinately adverb
- superobstinateness noun
- unobstinate adjective
- unobstinately adverb
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
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.
Her critical “confidence . . . is thrillingly anachronistic: obstinate, sure, but warming, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
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 was obstinate, cranky and consumed with the beauty of common objects; he persisted with his art in the face of enormous loneliness.
From New York Times • Jan. 15, 2024
When he looks up, it’s a less obstinate Olly staring back at me.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
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.
