stubbornadjective
uk/ˈstʌb.ən/us/ˈstʌb.ɚn/B2 disapproving A stubborn person is determined to do what he or she wants and refuses to do anything else:
They have huge arguments because they're both so stubborn.
Things that are stubborn are difficult to move, change, or deal with:
He was famed for his stubborn resistance and his refusal to accept defeat.
Stubborn stains can be removed using a small amount of detergent.
More examples
- Even as a small child, he could be stubborn.
- He's very stubborn and it drives me mad sometimes.
- What infuriates me is his stubborn refusal to admit that he's ever wrong.
- If he thinks he's in the right he can be very stubborn.
- Her stubborn streak makes her very difficult to work with sometimes.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Strong-willed
- a firm hand idiom
- adamant
- adamantine
- aggressive
- an iron hand/fist in a velvet glove idiom
- fury
- go-getter
- going
- gutsy
- hard-boiled
- importunate
- pertinacious
- pigheaded
- purposeful
- pushy
- ravening
- recalcitrant
- will not take no for an answer idiom
- willful
- with guns blazing idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Complicated and difficult to do
stubbornly
adverb uk/ˈstʌb.ən.li/us/ˈstʌb.ɚn.li/
She stubbornly refused to sign the document.
stubbornness
noun [ U ] uk/ˈstʌb.ən.nəs/us/ˈstʌb.ɚn.nəs/
Idiom(s)
be as stubborn as a mule