Search this site:

Definition of obstinate


Reference


Word of the Day
perfunctory
Definition: (adjective) unenthusiastic, routine, or mechanical.
Petersons.com
Add Word of the Day to your personalized My Yahoo! page:
Add to My Yahoo! View RSS Feed
About My Yahoo! and RSS »

  

ob·sti·nate  audio  (bst-nt) KEY  

ADJECTIVE:
  1. Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action; obdurate.
  2. Difficult to manage, control, or subdue; refractory.
  3. Difficult to alleviate or cure: an obstinate headache.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English obstinat, from Latin obstintus, past participle of obstinre, to persist; see st- in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
obsti·nate·ly (Adverb), obsti·nate·ness (Noun)

SYNONYMS:
obstinate , stubborn , headstrong , stiff-necked , bullheaded , pigheaded , mulish , dogged , pertinacious

These adjectives mean tenaciously unwilling to yield. Obstinate implies unreasonable rigidity: "Mr. Quincy labored hard with the governor to obtain his assent, but he was obstinate" (Benjamin Franklin). Stubborn pertains to innate, often perverse resoluteness or unyieldingness: "She was very stubborn when her mind was made up" (Samuel Butler). One who is headstrong is stubbornly, often recklessly willful: The headstrong teenager ignored school policy. Stiff-necked implies stubbornness combined with arrogance or aloofness: The stiff-necked customer irked the cashier. Bullheaded suggests foolish or irrational obstinacy, and pigheaded, stupid obstinacy: Don't be bullheaded; see a doctor. "It's a pity pious folks are so apt to be pigheaded" (Harriet Beecher Stowe). Mulish implies the obstinacy and intractability associated with a mule: "Obstinate is no word for it, for she is mulish" (Ouida). Dogged emphasizes stubborn perseverance: dogged persistence; "two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder" (W.E.B. Du Bois). Pertinacious stresses a tenacity of purpose, opinion, or course of action that is sometimes viewed as vexatious: The tax bill's vocal and pertinacious critics led to its defeat.


Visit our partner's site
Provided by Houghton Mifflin
logoeReference -- Download this interactive reference software to your desktop computer


Search Dictionary:

 More on Yahoo! Education
 • Online and On-Campus Degree Programs
    MBAs  -  Technology Management  -  Education  -  Health  -  More

 • College & Grad School - A Comprehensive Guide
    College Search  -  Test Prep  -  Application Tips  -  Scholarship Search
 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Other Important Information
-