obstinate

obstinate
adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French obstinat, Latin obstinatus, past participle of obstinare to be resolved, from ob- in the way + -stinare (akin to stare to stand) Date: 14th century 1. perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion <
obstinate resistance to change
>
2. not easily subdued, remedied, or removed <
obstinate fever
>
obstinately adverbobstinateness noun Synonyms: obstinate, dogged, stubborn, pertinacious, mulish mean fixed and unyielding in course or purpose. obstinate implies usually an unreasonable persistence <
an obstinate proponent of conspiracy theories
>
. dogged suggests an admirable often tenacious and unwavering persistence <
pursued the story with dogged perseverance
>
. stubborn implies sturdiness in resisting change which may or may not be admirable <
a person too stubborn to admit error
>
. pertinacious suggests an annoying or irksome persistence <
a pertinacious salesclerk refusing to take no for an answer
>
. mulish implies a thoroughly unreasonable obstinacy <
a mulish determination to have his own way
>
.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • obstinate — obstinate, dogged, stubborn, pertinacious, mulish, stiff necked, pigheaded, bullheaded are comparable when they mean fixed or unyielding by temperament or nature. Obstinate implies persistent adherence, especially against persuasion or attack, to …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Obstinate — Ob sti*nate, a. [L. obstinatus, p. p. of obstinare to set about a thing with firmness, to persist in; ob (see {Ob }) + a word from the root of stare to stand. See {Stand}, and cf. {Destine}.] 1. Pertinaciously adhering to an opinion, purpose, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • obstinate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) stubbornly refusing to change one s opinion or chosen course of action. 2) hard to deal with or overcome: an obstinate problem. DERIVATIVES obstinacy noun obstinately adverb. ORIGIN Latin obstinatus, from obstinare persist …   English terms dictionary

  • obstinate — [äb′stə nət] adj. [ME < L obstinatus, pp. of obstinare, to resolve on < obstare, to stand against, oppose < ob (see OB ) + stare, to STAND] 1. unreasonably determined to have one s own way; not yielding to reason or plea; stubborn;… …   English World dictionary

  • obstinate — index contentious, contumacious, difficult, disobedient, froward, immutable, impervious, implacable …   Law dictionary

  • obstinate — (adj.) mid 14c., from L. obstinatus resolute, inflexible, stubborn, pp. of obstinare persist, stand stubbornly, set one s mind on, from ob by (see OB (Cf. ob )) + stinare, related to stare stand, from PIE root *sta to stand (see STET …   Etymology dictionary

  • obstinate — [adj] stubborn, determined adamant, cantankerous, contradictory, contrary, contumacious, convinced, dead set on*, dogged, dogmatic, firm, hard, hardened, headstrong, heady, immovable, indomitable, inflexible, intractable, intransigent, locked in* …   New thesaurus

  • obstinate — ob|sti|nate [ˈɔbstınıt US ˈa:b ] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Latin; Origin: , past participle of obstinare to be determined ] 1.) determined not to change your ideas, behaviour, opinions etc, even when other people think you are being unreasonable =… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • obstinate — [[t]ɒ̱bstɪnət[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe someone as obstinate, you are being critical of them because they are very determined to do what they want, and refuse to change their mind or be persuaded to do something else. He is …   English dictionary

  • obstinate — adjective 1 unreasonably refusing to change your ideas of behaviour, even though people try to persuade you: Harry was obstinate and wouldn t admit he was wrong. | a sulky, obstinate child | an obstinate refusal to face facts 2 (only before noun) …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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