obstinacy

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noun ob·sti·na·cy \ ˈäb-stə-nə-sē \

Definition of obstinacy

plural obstinacies

1 a :the quality or state of being obstinate :stubbornness

She held to her own opinion with great obstinacy.

b :the quality or state of being difficult to remedy, relieve, or subdue

the obstinacy of tuberculosis

2 :an instance of being obstinate

irritated by the senator's obstinacies

See obstinacy defined for kids

Examples of obstinacy in a Sentence

the mindless obstinacy of those people who continue to insist that the earth is flat

Recent Examples of obstinacy from the Web

This obstinacy likely had the effect of alienating (and inflaming) potential viewers.

— jessica loudis, New Republic, "What Did Al Jazeera Do?," 20 June 2017
Means, who was serving in the state legislature at the time, recalled another moment when his friend's obstinacy surfaced.

— amy yurkanin, AL.com, "Roy Moore campaigns for senate on a shoestring and a prayer," 8 June 2017
Joanne McGee, as Apis’ wise but cantankerous old servant, augments the laughs with her clever asides, and playing the medic, Weeks helps balance the ensemble as the voice of reason sorely outweighed by Apis’ epic ego and unyielding obstinacy.

— jordan riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Archduke': Theater Review," 9 May 2017
The [local] commander was deeply impressed by my obstinacy, and wanted to help me.

— carolyn harris, Smithsonian, "The Women Warriors of the Russian Revolution," 28 Apr. 2017
Mr. Mélenchon’s critics say his obstinacy is petulant, wounded pride that can only help Ms. Le Pen’s National Front.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: West Wing infighting has ripple effects across the government," 26 Apr. 2017
We're told by a former colleague that Davis could be driven by anxiety in meetings, and the producer David Foster gets in a shot about his obstinacy on the music's nitty gritty.

— steven zeitchik, latimes.com, "Tribeca: Opening night sees Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson toast a music legend," 20 Apr. 2017
The leniency for the Palestinians has encouraged their obstinacy and their going to the United Nations instead of direct negotiations with Israel.

— ed clendaniel, The Mercury News, "Feb. 25 Letters: Preserve Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," 24 Feb. 2017
One possible explanation for the obstinacy is the fact that selling the company to his sons would require an appraisal of the company.

— sheelah kolhatkar, The New Yorker, "What Trump’s Business Plan Fails to Do," 12 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obstinacy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of obstinacy

14th century

obstinacy Synonyms

Synonyms

bullheadedness, doggedness, hardheadedness, intransigence, mulishness, obduracy, obdurateness, obstinateness, opinionatedness, pertinaciousness, pertinacity, pigheadedness, self-opinionatedness, self-will, stubbornness, willfulness

Near Antonyms

broad-mindedness, open-mindedness, reasonability, reasonableness, receptiveness, receptivity; acceptance, acquiescence, flexibility, pliability, pliableness, pliancy, pliantness; compliance, docility, obedience, subordinateness, subordination; submission, surrender, willingness, yielding; slavishness, subservience, subserviency

Medical Dictionary

obstinacy

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noun ob·sti·na·cy \ ˈäb-stə-nə-sē \

medical Definition of obstinacy

plural obstinacies

:the quality or state of being obstinate

the obstinacy of tuberculosis

Learn More about obstinacy

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for obstinacy Spanish Central: Translation of obstinacy Nglish: Translation of obstinacy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of obstinacy for Arabic speakers

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obstinacy

Definition of obstinacy

Examples of obstinacy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of obstinacy from the Web

First Known Use of obstinacy

obstinacy Synonyms

Synonyms

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Near Antonyms

Medical Dictionary

obstinacy

medical Definition of obstinacy

Learn More about obstinacy

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