Stubborn

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: stub=born

CIDE DICTIONARY

Stubborn, a. [OE. stoburn, stiborn; probably fr. AS. styb a stub. See Stub.].

 Firm as a stub or stump; stiff; unbending; unyielding; persistent; hence, unreasonably obstinate in will or opinion; not yielding to reason or persuasion; refractory; harsh; -- said of persons and things; as, stubborn wills; stubborn ore; a stubborn oak; as stubborn as a mule.  [1913 Webster]
"And I was young and full of ragerie [wantonness]
Stubborn and strong, and jolly as a pie."  [1913 Webster]
"These heretics be so stiff and stubborn."  [1913 Webster]
"Your stubborn usage of the pope."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Obstinate; inflexible; obdurate; headstrong; stiff; hardy; firm; refractory; intractable; rugged; contumacious; heady.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Stubborn, adj.
1 unreasonably obstinate.
2 unyielding, obdurate, inflexible.
3 refractory, intractable.

Derivative

stubbornly adj. stubbornness n.

Etymology

ME stiborn, stoburn, etc., of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

Stubborn

adamant, adamantine, adherent, adhesive, assiduous, balking, balky, bigoted, bulldogged, bulldoggish, bulldoggy, bulletheaded, bullheaded, cantankerous, cartilaginous, case-hardened, chewy, clingy, cohesive, constant, continuing, contumacious, coriaceous, determined, diligent, dogged, dogmatic, dour, durable, enduring, faithful, fanatic, fibrous, firm, fundamentalist, gluey, glutinous, gristly, gummy, hard, hardheaded, hardy, headstrong, hidebound, immovable, immutable, impliable, inalterable, indefatigable, indomitable, inductile, industrious, inelastic, inexorable, inextensible, inextensile, inextensional, inflexible, insistent, insubordinate, intolerant, intractable, intractile, intransigent, invincible, iron, ironbound, ironclad, ironhanded, irresilient, lasting, leatherlike, leathery, loyal, mulish, muscle-bound, never-tiring, nonelastic, nonstretchable, obdurate, obstinate, opinionated, ornery, orthodox, overzealous, patient, patient as Job, permanent, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, pigheaded, plodding, plugging, preoccupied, procrustean, purist, puristic, puritan, puritanic, rapt, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, relentless, resistant, resolute, restive, rigid, rigorist, rigoristic, rigorous, rockbound, ropy, sedulous, self-adhesive, self-willed, set, sinewy, single-minded, sleepless, slogging, stable, steadfast, steady, stickable, sticky, stiff, stiff-necked, straightlaced, straitlaced, stringy, strong, strong-willed, strongheaded, stunt, sulky, sullen, tacky, tenacious, tireless, tough, tough as leather, unabating, unalterable, unbending, uncompromising, unconquerable, uncooperative, undaunted, undiscouraged, undrooping, unextendible, unextensible, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unflexible, unflinching, ungiving, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unlimber, unmalleable, unnodding, unpliable, unpliant, unregenerate, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unremitting, unsleeping, unswerving, untiring, untractable, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, unyielding, utterly attentive, vigorous, viscid, wayward, weariless, willful, wiry

ROGET THESAURUS

Stubborn

Obstinacy

N obstinacy, obstinateness, obstinacy, tenacity, cussedness, perseverance, immovability, old school, inflexibility, obduracy, obduration, dogged resolution, resolution, ruling passion, blind side, self-will, contumacy, perversity, pervicacy, pervicacity, indocility, bigotry, intolerance, dogmatism, opiniatry, opiniativeness, fixed idea, fanaticism, zealotry, infatuation, monomania, opinionatedness opinionativeness, mule, opinionist, opinionatist, opiniator, opinator, stickler, dogmatist, bigot, zealot, enthusiast, fanatic, obstinate, tenacious, stubborn, obdurate, casehardened, inflexible, balky, immovable, unshakable, not to be moved, inert, unchangeable, inexorable, mulish, obstinate as a mule, pig-headed, dogged, sullen, sulky, unmoved, uninfluenced unaffected, willful, self-willed, perverse, resty, restive, restiff, pervicacious, wayward, refractory, unruly, heady, headstrong, entete, contumacious, crossgrained, arbitrary, dogmatic, positive, bigoted, prejudiced, creed- bound, prepossessed, infatuated, stiff-backed, stiff necked, stiff hearted, hard-mouthed, hidebound, unyielding, impervious, impracticable, inpersuasible, unpersuadable, intractable, untractable, incorrigible, deaf to advice, impervious to reason, crotchety, obstinately, non possumus, no surrender, ils n'ont rien appris ne rien oublie.

Difficulty

N difficulty, hardness, impracticability, tough work, hard work, uphill work, hard task, Herculean task, Augean task, task of Sisyphus, Sisyphean labor, tough job, teaser, rasper, dead lift, dilemma, embarrassment, deadlock, perplexity, intricacy, entanglement, complexity, cross fire, awkwardness, delicacy, ticklish card to play, knot, Gordian knot, dignus vindice nodus, net, meshes, maze, coil, crooked path, involvement, nice point, delicate point, subtle point, knotty point, vexed question, vexata quaestio, poser, puzzle, paradox, hard nut to crack, nut to crack, bone to pick, crux, pons asinorum, where the shoe pinches, nonplus, quandary, strait, pass, pinch, pretty pass, stress, brunt, critical situation, crisis, trial, rub, emergency, exigency, scramble, scrape, hobble, slough, quagmire, hot water, hornet's nest, sea of troubles, peck of troubles, pretty kettle of fish, pickle, stew, imbroglio, mess, ado, false position, set fast, stand, standstill, deadlock, dead set, fix, horns of a dilemma, cul de sac, hitch, stumbling block, crab, curmudgeon, difficult, not easy, hard, tough, troublesome, toilsome, irksome, operose, laborious, onerous, arduous, Herculean, formidable, sooner said than done, more easily said than done, easier said than done, difficult to deal with, hard to deal with, ill-conditioned, crabbed, crabby, not to be handled with kid gloves, not made with rose water, awkward, unwieldy, unmanageable, intractable, stubborn, perverse, refractory, plaguy, trying, thorny, rugged, knotted, knotty, invious, pathless, trackless, labyrinthine, intricate, complicated, impracticable, not feasible, desperate, embarrassing, perplexing, delicate, ticklish, critical, beset with difficulties, full of difficulties, surrounded by difficulties, entangled by difficulties, encompassed with difficulties, under a difficulty, in a box, in difficulty, in hot water, in the suds, in a cleft stick, in a fix, in the wrong box, in a scrape, in deep water, in a fine pickle, in extremis, between two stools, between Scylla and Charybdis, surrounded by shoals, surrounded by breakers, surrounded by quicksands, at cross purposes, not out of the wood, reduced to straits, hard pressed, sorely pressed, run hard, pinched, put to it, straitened, hard up, hard put to it, hard set, put to one's shifts, puzzled, at a loss, at the end of one's tether, at the end of one's rope, at one's wit's end, at a nonplus, at a standstill, graveled, nonplused, nonplussed, stranded, aground, stuck fast, set fast, up a tree, at bay, aux abois, driven into a corner, driven from pillar to post, driven to extremity, driven to one's wit's end, driven to the wall, au bout de son Latin, out of one's depth, thrown out, accomplished with difficulty, hard-fought, hard-earned, with difficulty, with much ado, barely, hardly, uphill, against the stream, against the grain, d rebours, invita Minerva, in the teeth of, at a pinch, upon a pinch, at long odds, against long odds, ay there's the rub, hic labor hoc opus, things are come to a pretty pass, ab inconvenienti, ad astra per aspera, acun chemin de fleurs ne conduit a la gloire.

Resistance

N resistance, stand, front, oppugnation, oppugnancy, opposition, renitence, renitency, reluctation, recalcitration, kicking, repulse, rebuff, insurrection, strike, turn out, lock out, barring out, levee en masse, Jacquerie, riot, resisting, resistive, resistant, refractory, recalcitrant, renitent, up in arms, repulsive, repellant, proof against, unconquerable, stubborn, unconquered, indomitable, unyielding, Int, hands off!, keep off!.

Strength

N strength, power, energy, vigor, force, main force, physical force, brute force, spring, elasticity, tone, tension, tonicity, stoutness, lustihood, stamina, nerve, muscle, sinew, thews and sinews, physique, pith, pithiness, virtility, vitality, athletics, athleticism, gymnastics, feats of strength, adamant, steel, iron, oak, heart of oak, iron grip, grit, bone, athlete, gymnast, acrobat, superman, Atlas, Hercules, Antaeus, Samson, Cyclops, Goliath, tower of strength, giant refreshed, strengthening, invigoration, refreshment, refocillation, dynamics, statics, strong, mighty, vigorous, forcible, hard, adamantine, stout, robust, sturdy, hardy, powerful, potent, puissant, valid, resistless, irresistible, invincible, proof against, impregnable, unconquerable, indomitable, dominating, inextinguishable, unquenchable, incontestable, more than a match for, overpowering, overwhelming, all powerful, all sufficient, sovereign, able-bodied, athletic, Herculean, Cyclopean, Atlantean, muscular, brawny, wiry, well-knit, broad-shouldered, sinewy, strapping, stalwart, gigantic, manly, man-like, manful, masculine, male, virile, unweakened, unallayed, unwithered, unshaken, unworn, unexhausted, in full force, in full swing, in the plenitude of power, stubborn, thick-ribbed, made of iron, deep-rooted, strong as a lion, strong as a horse, strong as an ox, strong as brandy, sound as a roach, in fine feather, in high feather, built like a brick shithouse, like a giant refreshed, strongly, by force, by main force, our withers are unwrung, Blut und Eisen, coelitus mihi vires, du fort au diable, en habiles gens, ex vi termini, flecti non frangi, he that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves an, inflexible in faith invincible in arms.

Hardness

N hardness, rigidity, renitence, renitency, inflexibility, temper, callosity, durity, induration, petrifaction, lapidification, lapidescence, vitrification, ossification, crystallization, stone, pebble, flint, marble, rock, fossil, crag, crystal, quartz, granite, adamant, bone, cartilage, hardware, heart of oak, block, board, deal board, iron, steel, cast iron, decarbonized iron, wrought iron, nail, brick, concrete, cement, hard, rigid, stubborn, stiff, firm, starch, starched, stark, unbending, unlimber, unyielding, inflexible, tense, indurate, indurated, gritty, proof, adamant, adamantine, adamantean, concrete, stony, granitic, calculous, lithic, vitreous, horny, corneous, bony, osseous, ossific, cartilaginous, hard as a rock, stiff as buckram, stiff as a poker, stiff as starch, stiff as as board.

Tenacity

N tenacity, toughness, strength, (cohesion), grip, grasp, stickiness, (cohesion), sequacity, stubbornness (obstinacy), glue, cement, glutinousness, sequaciousness, viscidity, (semiliquidity), leather, white leather, whitleather, gristle, cartilage, unbreakability, tensile strength, tenacious, tough, strong, resisting, sequacious, stringy, gristly cartilaginous, leathery, coriaceous, tough as whitleather, stubborn, unbreakable, indivisible, atomic.