Synonyms of stubborn

stubborn

adjective

ˈstə-bərn 

as in obstinate

sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion

he's just being stubborn, refusing even to try the new toothpaste

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obstinate
• adamant
• hardheaded
• headstrong
• steadfast
• intransigent
• hardened
• bullheaded
• wilful
• obdurate
• willful
• opinionated
• mulish
• unbending
• implacable
• obsessive
• unyielding
• uncompromising
• inflexible
• pigheaded
• immovable
• unrelenting
• pertinacious
• dogged
• persistent
• hard
• pat
• adamantine
• determined
• ossified
• self-willed
• strict
• stiff-necked
• hard-nosed
• perverse
• relentless
• tenacious
• self-opinionated
• inconvincible
• defiant
• iron
• wayward
• rigid
• stern
• deaf to reason
• severe
• unflinching
• cantankerous
• resolved
• inexorable
• wrongheaded
• uncooperative
• recalcitrant
• hard-line
• narrow-minded
• hidebound
• intractable
• disobedient
• stouthearted
• single-minded
• unruly
• firm
• indomitable
• contumacious
• unmanageable
• anal-retentive
• insubordinate
• mutinous
• contrary
• bloody-minded
• refractory
• invincible
• unconquerable
• hard-shell
• hard-shelled
• inveterate
• ungovernable
• cussed
• hell-bent
• insurgent
• froward
• set
• unregenerate
• demanding
• confirmed
• exacting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flexible
• compliant
• pliable
• amenable
• agreeable
• obedient
• acquiescent
• docile
• pliant
• complying
• submissive
• tractable
• yielding
• willing
• receptive
• responsive
• accepting
• reasonable
• relenting
• manageable
• placable
• temperate
• persuadable
• subservient
• slavish
• governable

Synonym Chooser

How is the word stubborn distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of stubborn are dogged, mulish, obstinate, and pertinacious. While all these words mean "fixed and unyielding in course or purpose," stubborn implies sturdiness in resisting change which may or may not be admirable.

a person too stubborn to admit error

When might dogged be a better fit than stubborn?

The meanings of dogged and stubborn largely overlap; however, dogged suggests an admirable often tenacious and unwavering persistence.

pursued the story with dogged perseverance

When is it sensible to use mulish instead of stubborn?

Although the words mulish and stubborn have much in common, mulish implies a thoroughly unreasonable obstinacy.

a mulish determination to have his own way

In what contexts can obstinate take the place of stubborn?

The synonyms obstinate and stubborn are sometimes interchangeable, but obstinate implies usually an unreasonable persistence.

an obstinate proponent of conspiracy theories

When could pertinacious be used to replace stubborn?

While in some cases nearly identical to stubborn, pertinacious suggests an annoying or irksome persistence.

a pertinacious salesclerk refusing to take no for an answer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stubborn

Transform your bathroom into a mini spa with the best Prime Day beauty devices, designed to target everything from stubborn hair, dull skin, barrier health, and more. —Jenny Berg, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025

That comes as investors seek a safe haven from a weaker dollar, geopolitical volatility, economic uncertainty and stubborn inflation. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025

His stubborn loyalty is easier to explain than is Franklin’s stubborn anger. —Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025

We are struck by what is extra, by the stubborn eccentric thing that can’t be flattened into an obvious meaning or an easy identity category. —Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025