as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
the company's ossified management team failed to see the technological revolution that was sweeping their own industry
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Recent Examples of ossified
Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
Really late developers, who might not be fully grown until around 20 or 21, could be 25 before their apophyseal sites are fully ossified.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ossified
Adjective
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Uninhibited by the European commitments of their rivals following last season’s dreary eighth-place finish, Massimiliano Allegri has wasted no time moulding the Rossoneri into a stubborn outfit that sit within two points of the summit after a 0-0 draw at Juventus before the international break.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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That damaging psychic weight of insecurity and self-blame seeps into our society and politics, where polls show a stubborn and longtime trend of declining faith in a better future.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Whoever wins or doesn’t win, Markman is adamant that trophies don’t define us.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Much to the dismay of Gen Z striving for success with a manageable work-life balance, CEOs are adamant that intense schedules are essential for anyone looking to make it in business.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the show wound to a close and the models triumphantly returned to the stage, the generational divide seemed best crystallized, under a flurry of pink confetti, in Adriana Lima's commanding presence.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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In Hollywood, Tilly crystallized fears about AI in a way not seen since the 2023 strikes.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Non-kinetic defenses (like jamming or hacking drones) don’t always work, especially against autonomous or hardened systems.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Sullivan, the drill instructor whose hardened exterior conceals his own private battles.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The only issue is his mother Laura (Wright), a woman who has lost a child once before and is petrified of a repeat.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ossified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ossified. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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