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obstinate

obs·ti·nate

UK/ˈɒb.stɪ.nət/ US/ˈɒb.stɪ.nɪt/ uncommon
adjective (3) verb (1)

adjective

1.
2.

resistant to guidance or discipline

  • “Mary Mary quite contrary”
  • “an obstinate child with a violent temper”
  • “a perverse mood”
  • “wayward behavior”
Synonyms
Similar
3.

verb

1.

persist stubbornly

  • “he obstinates himself against all rational arguments”

Origin

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.

Related words

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Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.