Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

pigheaded

play
adjective pig·head·ed \ˈpig-ˌhe-dəd\

Definition of pigheaded

  1. :  willfully or perversely unyielding :  obstinate

pigheadedly

adverb

pigheadedness

noun

See pigheaded defined for English-language learners

See pigheaded defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image1358596246
Words About Word Play
alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'
alt-59760690a61d7
Trending: Trump Tweets, We Define: 'Beleaguered'

Examples of pigheaded in a Sentence

  1. He was too pigheaded to listen to my suggestion.

  2. the kind of pigheaded person who seems to believe that facts only confuse an issue

First Known Use of pigheaded

1637

pigheaded Synonyms

Synonyms
adamant, adamantine, bullheaded, dogged, hard, hardened, hardheaded, hard-nosed, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inconvincible, inflexible, intransigent, mulish, obdurate, opinionated, ossified, pat, pertinacious, perverse, obstinate, self-opinionated, self-willed, stiff-necked, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful (or wilful)
Antonyms
acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, compliant, complying, flexible, pliable, pliant, relenting, yielding
Related Words
anal-retentive, obsessive; wayward, wrongheaded; determined, hell-bent, inexorable, persistent, relentless, resolved, set, single-minded, steadfast, stouthearted, tenacious, unflinching; firm, hard-line, hard-shell (or hard-shelled), iron, severe, stern, strict; hidebound, narrow-minded, rigid; bloody-minded [chiefly British], cantankerous; contrary, cussed; contumacious, disobedient, froward, insubordinate, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory, uncooperative, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly; defiant, insurgent, mutinous; indomitable, invincible, unconquerable; confirmed, inveterate, unregenerate; demanding, exacting
Near Antonyms
docile, obedient, placable, submissive, tractable; accepting, persuadable, receptive, responsive, willing; governable, manageable, reasonable, temperate; slavish, subservient

PIGHEADED Defined for English Language Learners

pigheaded

play
adjective

Definition of pigheaded for English Language Learners

  • : refusing to do what other people want or to change your opinion or the way you do something : very stubborn

PIGHEADED Defined for Kids

pigheaded

play
adjective pig·head·ed \ˈpig-ˈhe-dəd\

Definition of pigheaded for Students

  1. :  very stubborn She was too pigheaded to listen.

Learn More about pigheaded

  1. See words that rhyme with pigheaded Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pigheaded Spanish Central: Translation of pigheaded Nglish: Translation of pigheaded for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up pigheaded? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

akimbo

play

set in a bent position

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  2. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  3. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  4. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  5. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

pigheaded

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game
Examples: pigheaded in a Sentence