ironbound

adjective

Definition of ironboundnext
as in insular

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ironbound His work ethic was ironbound, his creativity often chaotic, his studio on Bologna’s Via Gaibola a wunderkammer of sorts where the textile-nerd creative masterminded more brands than arguably any other designer. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironbound
  1. insular
  2. stubborn
  3. obdurate
  4. obstinate
  5. parochial
  6. provincial
  7. unyielding
  8. wrongheaded
Adjective
  • The scale of private capital available to entrepreneurs has made the tech industry a particularly insular space.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Set against the remote, insular world of its titular island, production designer Steve Arnold and set decorator Jennifer Engel created a lived-in, slightly stuck in time and, when necessary, deeply unsettling environment.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of insular
Adjective
  • Designed for limp, oily, and dull hair, the color-safe formula washes away stubborn dirt and grime—common culprits of flat waves—while a lineup of amino acids work to soften and strengthen strands.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026
  • This skirt creates a temporary seal to help focus airflow on extra-stubborn dirt.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of stubborn
Adjective
  • Possibly this was the case at élite law schools in the nineteen-nineties, where even the most obdurate deans could not afford to ignore their militant students indefinitely.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • Iran, with its massive military capabilities, its oil wealth, its appetite for regional hegemony and its obdurate Islamism may have been the foremost obstacle to Israel’s integration into the region since 1979.
    — Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
Definition of obdurate
Adjective
  • And the Ithacan more than lives up to his reputation as the most obstinate hero in history, regularly taunting Poseidon (Miles Anderson) despite knowing the god will delay his return home.
    — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 24 July 2026
  • When councilman Steve Novick threatened to sue, the Blazers recoiled and became obstinate.
    — Jason Quick, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of obstinate
Adjective
  • Among the bureaucratic, parochial, pastoral and familial spaces his work takes his clients, a reflection on roots, gentrification and the act of remaining emerges.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In some cases, opposition might amount to parochial not in my backyard — or NIMBY — concerns.
    — Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of parochial
Adjective
  • The provincial government says the investment will strengthen aerospace capacity and support skilled employment in the province.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Twenty whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — had died at Marineland since 2019, according to provincial government data obtained through Freedom-of-Information laws and official statements.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of provincial
Adjective
  • But the unyielding free market advocate likely became just as well known for his opposition to Proposition 103, the landmark 1988 insurance initiative that regulated the industry following a period of skyrocketing auto premiums.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Just the unyielding betrayals of the flesh and the numbing sense that none of this had to happen.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unyielding
Adjective
  • Then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter ordered Jean be killed, a decision that rubbed the artist as wrongheaded and would lead to his exit a few months later.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
  • One of the greatest threats to public education in Chicago is the union itself and its wrongheaded insistence that CPS focus on political activism over academics.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of wrongheaded

Browse Nearby Words

iron
ironbound
ironclad
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Cite this Entry

“Ironbound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ironbound. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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