Adjacent Words

Obstinate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OB'STINATE, a. [L. obstinatus.]
1. Stubborn; pertinaciously adhering to an opinion or purpose; fixed firmly in resolution; not yielding to reason, arguments or other means.
I have known great cures done by obstinate resolutions of drinking no wine.
No ass so meek, no ass os obstinate.
2. Not yielding or not easily subdued or removed; as an obstinate fever; obstinate obstructions; an obstinate cough.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield [syn: stubborn, obstinate, unregenerate] [ant: docile]
2: stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing [syn: cussed, obdurate, obstinate, unrepentant]
3: resistant to guidance or discipline; "Mary Mary quite contrary"; "an obstinate child with a violent temper"; "a perverse mood"; "wayward behavior" [syn: contrary, obstinate, perverse, wayward] v
1: persist stubbornly; "he obstinates himself against all rational arguments"

Merriam Webster's

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 adverb • obstinateness 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>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 stubborn, intractable. 2 firmly adhering to one's chosen course of action or opinion despite dissuasion. 3 inflexible, self-willed. 4 unyielding; not readily responding to treatment etc. Derivatives: obstinacy n. obstinately adv. Etymology: ME f. L obstinatus past part. of obstinare persist (as OB-, stare stand)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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 course; persistent; not yielding to reason, arguments, or other means; stubborn; pertinacious; -- usually implying unreasonableness. I have known great cures done by obstinate resolution of drinking no wine. --Sir W. Temple. No ass so meek, no ass so obstinate. --Pope. Of sense and outward things. --Wordsworth. 2. Not yielding; not easily subdued or removed; as, obstinate fever; obstinate obstructions. Syn: Stubborn; inflexible; immovable; firm; pertinacious; persistent; headstrong; opinionated; unyielding; refractory; contumacious. See Stubborn. -- Ob"sti*nate*ly, adv. -- Ob"sti*nate*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. 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 obstinate and determined and will not give up... = stubborn ADJ [disapproval] • obstinately I stayed obstinately in my room, sitting by the telephone... = stubbornly ADV: ADV with v • obstinacy I might have become a dangerous man with all that stubbornness and obstinacy built into me. = stubbornness 2. You can describe things as obstinate when they are difficult to move, change, or destroy. ...rusted farm equipment strewn among the obstinate weeds. ADJ • obstinately ...the door of the shop which obstinately stayed closed when he tried to push it open. ADV: ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Stubborn, dogged, contumacious, unyielding, inflexible, perverse, mulish, opinionated, opinionative, wilful, heady, headstrong, refractory, unruly, cross-grained, intractable, obdurate, persistent, self-willed, immovable, firm, resolute, pertinacious. 2. Unyielding, immovable, stubborn, tenacious.

Moby Thesaurus

adamant, adherent, adhesive, adversary, adversative, adverse, alien, antagonistic, anti, antipathetic, antithetic, assiduous, balking, balky, beefy, bigoted, bloody-minded, bouncing, bound, bound and determined, bulldogged, bulldoggish, bulldoggy, bulletheaded, bullheaded, case-hardened, clashing, clingy, closed to, closed-minded, committed, competitive, con, conflicting, constant, continuing, contradictory, contrary, contumacious, costive, counter, crabbed, cross, deaf, decided, decisive, dedicated, definite, determined, devoted, diligent, disaccordant, disobedient, dissentient, dogged, dogmatic, doughty, dour, earnest, enduring, enemy, faithful, fanatic, firm, fixed, forceful, forcible, forcy, fractious, froward, full-blooded, full-strength, fundamentalist, gluey, glutinous, gummy, gutsy, gutty, hale, hard, hard as nails, hardheaded, hardy, headstrong, hearty, hefty, hidebound, hostile, husky, immovable, immutable, impersuadable, impersuasible, impervious, impliable, inalterable, indefatigable, indisciplined, indomitable, industrious, inexorable, inflexible, inimical, insistent, intolerant, intractable, intransigent, invincible, iron, iron-hard, ironbound, ironclad, ironhanded, lasting, lawless, loyal, lusty, mighty, mulish, muscle-bound, naughty, negative, nervy, never-tiring, nonconforming, noncooperative, obdurate, obstipated, opinionated, opponent, opposed, opposing, opposite, oppositional, oppositive, oppugnant, orthodox, overthwart, overzealous, patient, patient as Job, permanent, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, plodding, plugging, potent, powerful, preoccupied, procrustean, puissant, purist, puristic, puritan, puritanic, purposeful, rapt, rebellious, recalcitrant, recusant, red-blooded, refractory, relentless, renitent, repugnant, resistant, resolute, resolved, restive, rigid, rigorist, rigoristic, rigorous, rival, robust, robustious, rockbound, rugged, sedulous, self-adhesive, self-willed, serious, set, sincere, single-minded, sleepless, slogging, sot, stable, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, steady, steely, stickable, sticky, stiff, stiff-necked, stony, stout, straightlaced, straitlaced, strapping, strong, strong as brandy, strong as strong, strong-willed, strongheaded, stubborn, sturdy, sulky, sullen, tacky, tenacious, tireless, tough, transgressive, unabating, unamenable, unbending, unchangeable, uncomplying, uncompromising, unconquerable, uncooperative, undaunted, undisciplined, undiscouraged, undrooping, unduteous, undutiful, unfailing, unfaltering, unfavorable, unflagging, unflinching, unfriendly, unimpressionable, uninfluenceable, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unmovable, unmoving, unnodding, unpersuadable, unpliable, unpliant, unpropitious, unreceptive, unregenerate, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unremitting, unresponsive, unsleeping, unsubmissive, unsuggestible, unsusceptible, unswayable, unswerving, untiring, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, unyielding, utterly attentive, vigorous, violative, viscid, wayward, weariless, wholehearted, willful, withstanding, wrongheaded