stubborn
English · Thesaurus
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stubborn
- /ˈstʌbɚn/ US
- /ˈstʌbən/ UK
- /ˈstʊbən/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌbə(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor, whence English bitter).
adjective more stubborn · most stubborn
- Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something. People are pretty stubborn about their political beliefs, so why bother arguing?
- Physically stiff and inflexible; not easily melted or worked. Under his hand a stubborn latch sprung noisily […]
Similar: willful, headstrong, wayward, obstinate, obdurate, contrary, disobedient, insubordinate, undisciplined, adamant, unyielding, rebellious, perseverant, persistent, enduring
noun
- Stubbornness. But I have to say that one thing you inherited from your mother is a whole lot of stubborn.
- Ellipsis of stubborn disease (“a disease of citrus trees”). With evidence that the causal agent of stubborn is spread by insects, control or prevention of this disease will prove more difficult than formerly thought to be.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: mulish, obstinate, refractory, dogged, pertinacious, bullheaded, hardheaded, tenacious, strong-willed, strong-minded, hard, difficult, dour, unyielding, contrarious, intractable
adjective
Similar: willful, headstrong, wayward, obstinate, obdurate, contrary, disobedient, insubordinate, undisciplined, adamant, unyielding, rebellious, perseverant, persistent, enduring
Translations
Every language
adj refusing to move or change one's opinion
| Español | testarudo, cabezota, terco, cabezadura, porfiado, tozudo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 고집이 세다 gojibi seda, 고지식하다 gojisikhada |
| 日本語 | 頑固な ganko na |
| 中文 | 頑固 /顽固 wángù, 固執 /固执 gùzhí, 濃重 /浓重 nóngzhòng, 頑重 /顽重 wánzhòng, 執拗 /执拗 zhíniù |
| हिन्दी | हठी haṭhī, ज़िद्दी ziddī, अक्खड़ akkhaṛ |
| Português | teimoso, cabeça-dura, cabeçudo, casmurro, turrão |
| Français | têtu, entêté, borné |
| Deutsch | stur, dickköpfig |
| Italiano | ostinato, testardo |
| Ελληνικά | πεισματάρης peismatáris |
| Română | încăpățânat, căpățânos, îndărătnic, căpos |
| Русский | упо́рный upórnyj, упря́мый uprjámyj, упёртый upjórtyj, насто́йчивый nastójčivyj, неусту́пчивый neustúpčivyj, жестоковыйный žestokovyjnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | bướng bỉnh, ngoan cố, lì lợm, lì, bảo thủ |
| العربية | عَنِيد ʕanīd |
| עברית | עַקְשָׁן 'aqshán, עִקֵּשׁ 'iqésh, קְשֵׁה עֹרֶף qshe 'óref |
Talk about this word "stubborn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stubborn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. stubborn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stubborn "stubborn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stubborn.Cite this
@misc{stubborn_2026,
title = {stubborn},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stubborn},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
