1
as in persistence
a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
her unrelenting hardheadedness didn't win many friends, but it helped her to get her way most of the time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intelligence
exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters
the hardheadedness of a bean counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardheadedness
Noun
-
His spirit of persistence and craftsmanship continues to shape the bourbon industry today.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025 -
It’s been reopened in chunks, thanks to the unrelenting optimism and irrational persistence of a corps of downtown residents led by Rodriguez and Rosa Chang.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
An official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told ABC News that Gabbard has been working closely with Trump, Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other national security officials to share regular intelligence updates.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
17 June 2025
-
Israel’s attempt to achieve these highly ambitious goals with an air campaign and sophisticated intelligence networks, but without the deployment of a ground army, has no modern precedent.—
Robert A. Pape,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
With the shoreline in easy sight, the injured Nancy is stranded to fight off a killer shark with nothing more than her wits (and a seagull, which becomes her Wilson the volleyball).—
Chris Nashawaty,
EW.com,
20 June 2025
-
Solo ended her high school career wit ha 63-19 record and a 1.78 ERA.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Mihir Bose wrote the definitive book The Nine Waves: The Extraordinary Story of How India Took Over World Cricket in 2019 and disagrees with the wisdom of that Indian takeover.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
-
The accepted wisdom goes something like this: since the dawn of our species, human communities have been stitched together by the belonging impulse.—
Dr. Rami Kaminski,
Time,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
The Home Service Insurance segment experienced a decline in premiums, attributed to strategic actions to improve sales quality and persistency, as well as economic pressures such as inflation.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
13 Mar. 2025
-
The Home Service Insurance segment experienced a decline in premiums, attributed to strategic actions to improve sales quality and persistency, as well as economic pressures such as inflation.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Explaining its rationale for lowering its credit rating on the United States for the first time since 1917, Moody’s cited ballooning US debt levels and Washington’s intransigence over budget deficit solutions.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
-
However, Hogg’s intransigence proves that Democrats will likely need to give way to younger leaders or risk more public internal drama that distracts from countering the Trump administration.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
Campbell’s thirst to learn protected him from obstinacy.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
-
But as Nicky expands his interests and each man gains power, their lives become entangled in a story of hot temples, obstinacy, money, love and deception.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Related: ‘Neglected diseases’ are anything but neglected by the billion-plus people living with them One possible reason for this obduracy is that noma begins as a dental disease, and dental diseases have long been underappreciated global health concerns.—
John Button,
STAT,
16 Dec. 2023
-
Perhaps the greatest testament to Morocco’s obduracy came late in normal time, when Rodri — a central midfielder being deployed as a central defender — strode forward and shot, more in hope than in expectation, from 35 yards.—
Rory Smith,
New York Times,
6 Dec. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Hardheadedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardheadedness. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share