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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obstinacy
For him, obstinacy was far worse than correction.
—
Shai Tubali, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
The left’s obstinacy may carry a heavy political price.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Our experiences were branded on our souls, broadening our perspective of the world and arming us with the obstinacy and mettle to pursue a meaningful life.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 July 2025
This seemed to me to stem not from carelessness or spite but obstinacy.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstinacy
Shai Tubali, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
The left’s obstinacy may carry a heavy political price.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Our experiences were branded on our souls, broadening our perspective of the world and arming us with the obstinacy and mettle to pursue a meaningful life.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 July 2025
This seemed to me to stem not from carelessness or spite but obstinacy.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for obstinacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstinacy
Noun
-
At some point, the preference for consistency and the resolve to make decisions built on past success starts to mirror stubbornness.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
-
Like Sunshine Sean, Bedsy offers a high floor, good-to-brilliant regular seasons, and inevitable playoff heartbreak brought on by a combination of stubbornness and the inability to adapt on the fly.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
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
-
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
-
China has gained, not suffered, from this obduracy.—
JONATHAN A. CZIN,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Nov. 2025
-
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
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
Noun
-
Centres come at a significant premium cost, and there’s a fair bit of regard for Hayton around the industry given his versatility, face-off winning ability, power-play utility and doggedness.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Corey Perry, winger, A- Joel Armia, forward, B Perry has delivered the doggedness the Kings came to expect from him as a longtime rival, along with his best per-game scoring rate since 2018.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ukraine is turning the tide with Ukrainian resolve and innovation.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
-
An appetite for playing too many games on home soil instead of sharpening resolve in hostile foreign venues.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obstinacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstinacy. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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