stiff-necked

1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude he was too stiff-necked to admit that "underlings" might have useful ideas

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of stiff-necked But some Jews stubbornly refused to assimilate and continued the sometimes strange and stiff-necked traditions of our people. TIME, 11 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-necked
Adjective
  • By losing some of its arrogant charm, Doom has also lost the means to back it up.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025
  • For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature.
    Billboard Japan, Billboard, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Ramsay is a filmmaker of undeniable formal wizardry and a fearless explorer of psychological rupture.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 May 2025
  • Robinhood submitted a formal 42-page proposal to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requesting the creation of a federal regulatory framework for the issuance and trading of tokenized RWAs.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • When tragedy strikes on Michigan roads—when a car skids off an icy bend or a semi-truck barrels through a red light—victims are often left to face not only devastating injuries but also a daunting legal maze of corporate denials and stubborn insurers.
    William Jones, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • Get The Recipe Smart Move Similar recipes with beans and peas existed before then, but a challenge made to a stubborn chef named Helen Corbitt spurred the creation of Texas caviar.
    Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Layne suggested Edward ride again the following week, and over time, as the Lamb family regularly made its way to the Batty farm, Edward started to point out the correct directions.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 19 May 2025
  • This story was updated with a correct statement from the FBI.
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • The chairman was adamant this bill can still pass by Johnson's goal of Memorial Day.
    Lauren Peller, ABC News, 16 May 2025
  • Valli remains adamant about the importance of fashion as escapism.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Also left behind: the Beaver State’s colder weather and stiff personal income tax.
    William P. Barrett, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • That caused the committee to reconsider and support the stiffer penalty of expulsion, Goldsmith alleged.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Half Dome comes with a footprint, which is a rarity these days, and nice to have.
    Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 16 May 2025
  • However, a very nice man let us in, much to the chagrin of a lady who did not want to let us in.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • Handheld digital images give way to more solemn documentary reveries, which give way to surveillance footage and TikTok-style social media interludes.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 May 2025
  • The scenes involving Alma and Erika, both of whom grow up in worlds dominated by a solemn patriarchy and plagued by hardship, feel like they were drawn from period horror movies.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stiff-necked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-necked. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

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