Definition of adamant
: unshakable or insistent especially in maintaining a position or opinion : unyielding an adamant insistence on doing things his own way was adamant about making the change
adamantly
adverbFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of adamant in a Sentence
I am keen not to share my genetic code with my insurer, I am keen that my doctor should know it and use it, but I am adamant to the point of fanaticism that it is my decision. —Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999
Arrive to find child physically intact but … adamant that he will not remain another minute in Ski Bunny program. Despite their ‘professionalism,’ staff members eagerly concur. —Christopher Buckley, New Yorker, 10 Mar. 1997
In the years following the First World War, the debts of our wartime allies and others came to be considered a serious burden on international commerce and well-being. Calvin Coolidge was adamant on repayment. —John Kenneth Galbraith, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 1986
The Meaning and History of adamant
A person who is adamant about something has formed an opinion or taken a position that is not going to change because the person is determined to keep that opinion or position. If you're adamant about a decision you've made, no one can convince you that it was a mistake. If you're adamant that something be done (or not be done), you insist that it be (or not be) so.
The adjective dates to the early 1800s but it comes from a much older—and now much less common—noun. An adamant is an imaginary stone of impenetrable hardness. Historically, the word applied to actual stones (and other substances) believed to be impenetrable; in the 17th century the word was used as a synonym of diamond. The noun adamant comes from a Latin word meaning "material of extreme hardness, diamond."
One side note: however adamant the Adams in your life tend to be, the name Adam is not related etymologically to the word adamant. Adam comes from the Hebrew word 'āḏām, meaning "human being."
Origin and Etymology of adamant
see 2adamant
Synonym Discussion of adamant
Definition of adamant
1 : a stone (such as a diamond) formerly believed to be of impenetrable hardness
2 : an unbreakable or extremely hard substance
Examples of adamant in a Sentence
We've tried to talk him into coming with us, but he's adamant about staying here.
remained adamant about getting the actor's autograph even after he had disappeared backstage
Origin and Etymology of adamant
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin adamant-, adamas hardest metal, diamond, from Greek
ADAMANT Defined for English Language Learners
adamant
playDefinition of adamant for English Language Learners
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: not willing to change an opinion or decision : very determined
ADAMANT Defined for Kids
adamant
playDefinition of adamant for Students
: not giving in I tried to change her mind, but she was adamant.
Learn More about adamant
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See words that rhyme with adamant Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adamant Spanish Central: Translation of adamant Nglish: Translation of adamant for Spanish speakers
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