obdurate
/'ɔbdjurit/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Stubbornly resistant to persuasion, moral influence, or emotional appeal: Describes a person who refuses to change their opinion, attitude, or course of action despite appeals or reasoning.
- Hardened in feelings or morally insensitive: Describes a person who is not moved by pity, sympathy, or tender feelings.
Usage
- The word "obdurate" is a formal adjective, typically used to describe a person's character, attitude, or heart. It carries a strong negative connotation, implying a willful and often unreasonable stubbornness or lack of compassion.
- It is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "be," "seem," "remain").
Examples
- Attributive use:
- The judge was obdurate and refused to reduce the sentence.
- Despite the pleas for mercy, he maintained an obdurate silence.
- Predicative use:
- She remained obdurate in her decision to sell the company.
- His heart seemed obdurate to their suffering.
Advanced Usage
- "obdurate in (something)": Stubbornly persistent in a particular attitude or action.
- He was obdurate in his refusal to apologize.
- "obdurate to (something)": Unmoved or unresponsive to a particular influence, such as pleas or feelings.
- The tyrant was obdurate to all appeals for clemency.
Variants and Related Words
- Obduracy (noun): The quality or state of being obdurate; stubbornness.
- Her obduracy made negotiations impossible.
Different Meanings
The core meaning of "obdurate" consistently relates to stubbornness and emotional hardness. The nuance can vary slightly between: 1. Willful stubbornness: Emphasizing a refusal to change one's mind. 2. Moral or emotional hardness: Emphasizing a lack of compassion or sensitivity.
Synonyms
- Adamant: Refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind.
- Inflexible: Unwilling to change or compromise.
- Intransigent: Unwilling or refusing to change one's views or to agree about something.
- Unbending: Not yielding or not capable of being persuaded.
- Callous: Showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others.
Antonyms
- Compliant: Inclined to agree with others or obey rules.
- Pliable: Easily bent or influenced.
- Compassionate: Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
- Yielding: Giving way under pressure; not stiff or rigid.
Idioms and Phrases
While "obdurate" itself is not commonly used in idioms, it describes the quality central to phrases like: - To harden one's heart: To become less sympathetic or compassionate. - He hardened his heart against their cries for help, becoming truly obdurate.
Adjective
-
showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
-
his flinty gaze
-
the child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart
-
-
stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
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