as in obdurateness
a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action
cursed their mulishness for failing to own up to what seemed like an obvious mistake to him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mulishness
Noun
-
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko credited modern forensic tools and long-term investigative persistence for the arrest, saying advances in DNA technology finally provided answers that were not possible in 1990.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
12 June 2026 -
That matters in a Congress where coalition-building, legal acumen, and persistence are often the difference between progress and paralysis.—
Joel Rubin,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
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
Noun
-
And then the case either resolves or there's a lawsuit by the EEOC or by the private party.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The most noticeable change in Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s oversight of the central bank, compared to his predecessor, Jerome Powell, is his determination to reform the institution.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
The Secretary of State’s Office made the determination Tuesday.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
There was also Tortorella’s stubbornness in sticking with goalie Carter Hart, who set the wrong type of records in the Stanley Cup Final.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
But apart from displaying an occasional streak of stubbornness, Varsha too is an equable child who has never done anything surprising or untoward—at least not until 20 September 1969.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Instead, the courts are dealing with intransigence from the city.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
-
In Kyiv, Orbán’s intransigence had scuttled various European initiatives to aid Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government in the country’s with Russia.—
Rafi Schwartz,
TheWeek,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Starmer’s realism—or obstinacy, depending on your point of view—had seen off an immediate challenge.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
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
“Mulishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mulishness. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
