Meanings
diehard1
comparative more diehard · superlative most diehard · alternative die-hard
- idiomaticUnreasonably or stubbornly resisting change.
- idiomaticFanatically opposing progress or reform.
- idiomaticComplete; having no opposite opinion of anything in a particular topic of one's values; thorough of in one's beliefs.
For a Roman Catholic teacher, he sure is a diehard fundamentalist.
1 more example
The libertarian right of the Consservative Party, many of them diehard Europhobes, privately referred to the health minister and his advisers as "the Gestapo" for their faith in enforced lockdowns.
2022, Ian McEwan, Lessons, page 644 - idiomaticStrongly or fanatically determined or devoted.
plural diehards · alternative die-hard
- idiomaticA person with such an attitude.
I should like my Scottish correspondent to see recent statements by leading officers of certain American railways which both have been among the most extreme diehards for steam, and also have developed the most powerful and outstanding steam locomotive designs—[…].
1950 January, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in RailwAy Magazine, page 13
Diehard2
- A locality in the Glen Innes Severn council area, north eastern New South Wales, Australia.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Deverbal from die hard.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian твърдоглав
- твърдоглав (tvărdoglav)thorough of in one's beliefs
Esperanto ĝisosta
- ĝisostathorough of in one's beliefs
Finnish patavanhoillinen, patavanhoillinen
- patavanhoillinenunreasonably resisting change
- patavanhoillinenfanatically opposing progress
- pesunkestäväthorough of in one's beliefs
- jääräperson vehemently opposed to change
French inflexible, inébranlable
- inflexibleunreasonably resisting change
- inébranlableunreasonably resisting change
- irréductibleunreasonably resisting change
- entierunreasonably resisting change
- réactionnairefanatically opposing progress
- réacfanatically opposing progress
- conservateurfanatically opposing progress
- intégristethorough of in one's beliefs
- fanatiquethorough of in one's beliefs
- illuminéthorough of in one's beliefs
- déterminéthorough of in one's beliefs
- déterthorough of in one's beliefs
German eingefleischt, hartgesotten
- eingefleischtthorough of in one's beliefs
- hartgesottenthorough of in one's beliefs
Norwegian hardbarka
- hardbarkathorough of in one's beliefs
Polish oporny na zmiany, twardogłowy
- oporny na zmianyunreasonably resisting change
- twardogłowyfanatically opposing progress
- twardogłowythorough of in one's beliefs
- twardogłowyperson vehemently opposed to change
- twardogłowaperson vehemently opposed to change
Spanish empedernido
- empedernidothorough of in one's beliefs
Cite this entry
diehard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diehard
“diehard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diehard. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diehard,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diehard.
Source: diehard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.