ob ‧ sti ‧ nate /ˈɒbstənət, ˈɒbstɪnət $ ˈɑːb-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: 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 SYN stubborn :
He was the most obstinate man I’ve ever met.
Don’t be so obstinate!
an obstinate refusal to obey
2 . [only before noun] British English difficult to deal with or get rid of:
obstinate stains
a complex and obstinate issue
—obstinately adverb
—obstinacy noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ stubborn refusing to change your mind, even when people think you are wrong or are being unreasonable:
Dave can be really stubborn once he’s made up his mind.
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a stubborn old man
▪ obstinate very stubborn, in way that is annoying and unreasonable:
I have never met anyone so obstinate.
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his obstinate refusal to compromise
▪ pig-headed informal refusing to change your mind, even when people think that what you want to do is stupid:
I told her she was making a big mistake but she was too pig-headed to listen.
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I wish you’d stop being so pig-headed!
▪ headstrong very determined to do what you want, often without thinking about the results of your actions – used especially about young people:
As a girl, she had been lively and headstrong.
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the headstrong impulsiveness of youth
▪ wilful British English ( also willful American English ) doing what you want, even after you have been told to stop, or when you know that it is wrong – used especially about children:
He was a spoiled and wilful child, who always got his own way.
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She was passionate and wilful – exactly the sort of creature a man ought to avoid.
▪ ornery American English behaving in an unreasonable and often angry way, especially by doing the opposite of what people want you to do:
an ornery kid
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Teenagers can be ornery and rude.