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
Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
And he's taken aim at the foreign policy apparatus, describing institutions like the NSC and State Department as having been ossified and out of touch.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 26 Jan. 2026
This year’s awards narrative was already feeling especially ossified.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
The status quo—an ossified theocracy presiding over a bankrupt economy and an aggrieved populace—has already proven unsustainable.
—Ali Vaez, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Poking out of the vertical wall of a cutbank in a seasonally dry river was a vertebra – part of the backbone – and some ossified tendons.
—Paul C. Sereno, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
The collective dream was for a new, democratic structure that could replace Assad’s ossified legal regime.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
And he's taken aim at the foreign policy apparatus, describing institutions like the NSC and State Department as having been ossified and out of touch.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 26 Jan. 2026
This year’s awards narrative was already feeling especially ossified.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
The status quo—an ossified theocracy presiding over a bankrupt economy and an aggrieved populace—has already proven unsustainable.
—Ali Vaez, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Poking out of the vertical wall of a cutbank in a seasonally dry river was a vertebra – part of the backbone – and some ossified tendons.
—Paul C. Sereno, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2025
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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In business, this same perseverance can be invaluable when navigating competitive and fluctuating markets, stubborn problems or enduring long timelines that don’t pay immediate dividends but for which the rewards are worth the wait.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
-
For stubborn black spots, make a paste using baking soda and a small amount of water.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What is that key meant to represent, and why was Mycroft so adamant about Sherlock literally and figuratively closing that book and moving on with his life?—
Max Gao,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Getting everyone on board As the legislative committee develops initiatives to help cut down red tape, Wicks is adamant that new state regulations are just one piece of the puzzle that municipalities must also solve.—
Amancai Biraben,
Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His conundrum is crystallized in his promise to make more movies — 30 a year between both studios.—
Reeves Wiedeman,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The moment everything crystallized was the night of our first-ever live show.—
Roger Bennett,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The medical examiner ruled her death the result of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or hardened arteries, possibly due to a hereditary disorder.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The tool will also ship with either a graphite marking tip - essentially a compact graphite pencil for layout work - or a hardened metal scribing tip for marking metal surfaces.—
Omar Kardoudi
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
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 9 Mar. 2026.
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