diehard

D2I1E1H4A1R1D2
US/ˈdaɪ.hɑɹd/UK/ˈdaɪ.hɑːd/

adjective

Unreasonably or stubbornly resisting change.

“For a Roman Catholic teacher, he sure is a diehard fundamentalist.”

Meanings

diehard1

adjectivediehard (comparative more diehard, superlative most diehard)

comparative more diehard · superlative most diehard · alternative die-hard

  1. 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
noundiehard (plural diehards)

plural diehards · alternative die-hard

  1. 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

proper noun
  1. A locality in the Glen Innes Severn council area, north eastern New South Wales, Australia.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounone who adheres to traditional views

Broader
conservativeconservativist

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

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
APA

diehard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diehard

MLA

“diehard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diehard. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diehard,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diehard.

Source: diehard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.