obstinate means stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course, usually with implied unreasonableness; persistent. It carries an Arena rating of 1523, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, obstinate ranks #1,302 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,637 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #3,084 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,159 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
obstinate is pronounced /ˈɒb.stɪ.nət/.
Why “obstinate” is a great word
Firmly resolved not to change one's position or opinion, especially when this resolve appears willfully perverse or unreasonable. From Middle English obstinat(e), from Latin obstinātus, the past participle of obstināre ("to set one's mind firmly upon, resolve"), from ob- ("in the way, against") + *stinare, from stāre ("to stand"), first recorded in English in the late 14th century. Unlike “adamant,” which may suggest principled resolve, or “flexible,” which implies graceful adaptation, obstinate carries the weight of the irrational: it is the donkey that will not be moved from the center of the path, the rusted bolt that shears before it turns, the will that stands like a root-split stone in a stream’s path—a quiet testament to the fact that the mind, having chosen its ground, will defend it against all evidence, all entreaty, all sense.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English obstinat(e) (“obstinate, stubborn”), from Latin obstinātus, perfect passive participle of obstinō (“set one's mind firmly upon, resolve”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ob (“before”) + *stinare, from stare (“to stand”). Doublet of ostinato.
adj
- Stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course, usually with implied unreasonableness; persistent.e.g.“From this consideration it is that we have derived the custom, in times of war, to punish […] those who are obstinate to defend a place that by the rules of war is not tenable […]” — 1686, Montaigne, translated by Charles Cotton, That men are justly punished for being obstinate in the defence of a fort that is not in reason to be defended:
- Of an inanimate object, not easily subdued or removed.e.g.“an obstinate blockage in the pipe”
- Of a facial feature or expression, fixed and unmoving.e.g.“He had the same pile of curly hair, but he was clean-shaven with a heavy, obstinate jowl.” — 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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