obstinacy

noun

ob·​sti·​na·​cy ˈäb-stə-nə-sē 

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

Synonyms of obstinacy

• stubbornness
• persistence
• persistency
• intransigence
• obduracy
• pertinacity
• pigheadedness
• willfulness
• doggedness
• resolve
• bullheadedness
• self-will
• determination

Examples of obstinacy in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

This seemed to me to stem not from carelessness or spite but obstinacy. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2025

For him, obstinacy was far worse than correction. — Shai Tubali, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025

The left’s obstinacy may carry a heavy political price. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025

Starmer’s realism—or obstinacy, depending on your point of view—had seen off an immediate challenge. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

obstinacy

noun

ob·​sti·​na·​cy ˈäb-stə-nə-sē 

: the quality or state of being obstinate

Medical Definition

obstinacy

noun

ob·​sti·​na·​cy ˈäb-stə-nə-sē 

plural obstinacies

: the quality or state of being obstinate

the obstinacy of tuberculosis