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hardheadedness

noun

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

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2
as in intelligence
exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters the hardheadedness of a bean counter

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardheadedness
  1. persistence
  2. intelligence
  3. stubbornness
  4. wit
  5. persistency
  6. wisdom
  7. intransigence
  8. shrewdness
Noun
  • According to the trade counsel, the recent tit-for-tat trade actions undertaken by both Washington and Ottowa have served to illuminate the persistence of a trend that stands to continue over the coming months.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Maines’ technical skill along with his persistence and curiosity helped produce journalism with far-reaching consequences.
    — Sally Kestin, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of persistence
Noun
  • Our current architecture estimates suggest that separating deterministic execution from runtime intelligence could reduce expected token consumption by around 90% compared with initial approaches.
    — Nitin Gupta, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • From our first conversations, Jon blew us away with his intelligence and deep creative insights about how to craft great stories.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of intelligence
Noun
  • There’s a tinge of humor, too, in Zumthor’s stubbornness when designing someone’s home, as the conceptual clashes with the preferential.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Once the aging parent’s worries are addressed, their initial stubbornness might disappear.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stubbornness
Noun
  • Tight end Eric Saubert played for him in San Francisco and adored the coach’s wit back then.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This reputation is tied to the biting wit and unruly imagination found across his prose, poetry and political writings.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of wit
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 tannins are well structured yet soft and the wine has great persistency in the finish.
    — Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 2 May 2023
Definition of persistency
Noun
  • The Overton window, for some reason, is more open than ever on the AI apocalypse narrative—and the wisdom of crowds is speaking loudly.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Adrian McElwee, son of the filmmaker Ross McElwee, was such an interesting child, full of precocious wisdom.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of wisdom
Noun
  • The fact that so many diplomats before him have struggled is a testament not to the intransigence of international problems but to the mediocrity of his predecessors.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Fatigue with the stagnation inherent in contemporary democratic institutions is among the key factors that make the promise to break through intransigence by autocratic leaders attractive to a plurality of voters.
    — Wendell Wallach, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Definition of intransigence
Noun
  • Spain’s shrewdness came in their refusal to engage with off-the-ball trivialities.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Instead, Franklin will rise by virtue of hard work and (actual) shrewdness.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of shrewdness
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.

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hardheaded
hardheadedness
hardheads
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Cite this Entry

“Hardheadedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardheadedness. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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