pigheaded

American  

[pig-hed-id] / ˈpɪgˌhɛd ɪd /

adjective

1. stupidly obstinate; stubborn.

   pigheaded resistance.

   Synonyms:

   mulish, bullheaded

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Other Word Forms

• pigheadedly
  adverb
• pigheadedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pigheaded

First recorded in 1610–20; pig ¹ + headed ( def. 3 )

Explanation

Someone who's extremely stubborn, refusing to change their mind even when it's in their best interest, is pigheaded. It's almost impossible to get a pigheaded person to listen to your advice. If your brother refuses to wear a winter coat on a freezing winter day, obstinately sticking to this decision even after he steps outside and starts shivering, he's pigheaded. While the original meaning of this adjective was, briefly, "having a head resembling a pig's," it's long been used to mean "stupidly stubborn." This figurative meaning comes from the reputation of pigs as being stubbornly willful.

Example Sentences

And perhaps most cruelly, this pigheaded hubris hurts the most vulnerable the most.

From Scientific American • Sep. 1, 2023

The team’s thick, almost spreadable toum cranks up the volume on the stinking rose, allowing its pungency and pigheaded perfume to accessorize a number of dishes.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2023

Like I stumbled into the career that I have simply for being too pigheaded to accept “no” for an answer.

From The Verge • May 4, 2022

“I was pigheaded in my behavior,” he said.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 31, 2016

All I could see was that we’d risked our lives because he was so pigheaded.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz