as in stubbornness
a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
the mindless obstinacy of those people who continue to insist that the earth is flat
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Recent Examples of obstinacy
That is the popular girl’s cross to bear, and the desperate obstinacy that comes with this realization is one of Cody’s main themes.
—
Rafaela Bassili, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2024
Odenkirk was one of several perfectly cast actors in the episode, a force capable of matching Bernthal’s intensity and obstinacy.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2024
Politics, even now, is about more than baubles and encomia, and in their obstinacy, most voters remain at least somewhat interested in the policies that each candidate brings to the feast.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 29 July 2024
People talk a lot about artificial intelligence but not enough about artificial obstinacy.
—David Brooks, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obstinacy
Rafaela Bassili, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2024
Odenkirk was one of several perfectly cast actors in the episode, a force capable of matching Bernthal’s intensity and obstinacy.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2024
Politics, even now, is about more than baubles and encomia, and in their obstinacy, most voters remain at least somewhat interested in the policies that each candidate brings to the feast.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 29 July 2024
People talk a lot about artificial intelligence but not enough about artificial obstinacy.
—David Brooks, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obstinacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstinacy
Noun
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His spirit of persistence and craftsmanship continues to shape the bourbon industry today.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Noun
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Rather, the Wildcats got here through steely resolve.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
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That particular conversation ended with little resolve, but there were subsequent conversations that occurred on-camera around these topics.—
Monique Wilson,
Glamour,
12 June 2025
Noun
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But also injuries and ailments at all the wrong times, as well as overt self-will at times.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2025
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So for those of us torn between watching the sun get blotted out and getting blotto keeping our attention on a particularly good rock show, this exercise in multi-tasking was a real contest of self-will.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Then the market for EVs started showing signs of slowing down, and the current administration’s determination to eliminate the federal tax credit for EVs started to alter the trajectory of the battery-electric vehicle uptake.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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While there is an investigation looking into what caused the Air India disaster, no official determination has been issued yet.—
Opheli Garcia Lawler,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obstinacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstinacy. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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