obdurate

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UK/ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/UK/ˈɒbdjʊɹɪt/UK/ˈɒbdʒəɹɪt/UK/-ət/

adjective

Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.

Similar
hardenedhard-heartedimpertinentintractableunrepentantunyieldingrecalcitrantheadstrong
OriginMiddle English obdurat(e) ← Latin obdūrātus →
UncommonFirst used c. 1540-1860Scrabble 11
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Meanings

obdurate1

adjectiveobdurate (comparative more obdurate, superlative most obdurate)

comparative more obdurate · superlative most obdurate

  1. Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.

    But custom maketh blind and obdurate The loftiest hearts.

    1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “(please specify the page)”, in The Revolt of Islam; […], London: […] [F]or C[harles] and J[ames] Ollier, […]; by B[uchanan] M‘Millan, […], →OCLC, stanza 9
    5 more examples

    […] sometimes the very custom of evil making the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary […]

    [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page)

    Art thou obdurate, flintie, hard as ſteele? / Nay more then flint, for ſtone at raine relenteth: […]

    1594, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC, [verse 34], lines [199–200]

    […] round he throws his baleful eyes That witness'd huge affliction and dismay Mixt with obdurate pride and stedfast hate:

    1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 56–58

    Late the next afternoon Tarzan and his Waziri returned with the first load of “belongings,” and when the party saw the ancient ingots of virgin gold they swarmed upon the ape-man with a thousand questions; but he was smilingly obdurate to their appeals—he declined to give them the slightest clew as to the source of his immense treasure.

    1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 220

    An injury-time goal from Nikola Zigic against an obdurate Stoke side gave Birmingham back-to back Premier League wins for the first time in 14 months.

    2011 February 12, Les Roopanarine, “Birmingham 1 - 0 Stoke”, in BBC

    Synonyms: hardened, hard-hearted, impertinent, intractable, unrepentant, unyielding, recalcitrant, headstrong

  2. obsoletePhysically hardened, toughened.

    The past is obdurate for the same reason a turtle's shell is obdurate: because the living flesh inside is tender and defenseless.

    2011, Stephen King, 11/22/63, New York: Scribner, →ISBN, page 827
  3. Hardened against feeling; hard-hearted.

    I fear the gentleman to whom Miss Amelia's letters were addressed was rather an obdurate critic.

    1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 13, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC

obdurate2

verbobdurate (third-person singular simple present obdurates, present participle obdurating, simple past and past participle obdurated)

present singular third person obdurates · participle present obdurating · participle past obdurated · past obdurated

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo harden; to obdure.First known use c. 1540-1860

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.

Similar
hardenedhard-heartedimpertinentintractableunrepentantunyieldingrecalcitrantheadstrongobdure

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivestubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

Similar
cussedobstinateunrepentantunregenerateunregenerated

adjectiveshowing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings

Similar
flintyflintgraniticstonyhardheartedheartless
Also see
abandonedadamantinecussedexecrateflintflintygranitichardenimpenitentobdureobstinatestonystubbornunregenerateunregeneratedunrepentant

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

obdurate · adjective

  1. Latinobdūrātus“hardened”
  2. Middle Englishobdurat(e)
  3. Englishobdurate

First attested in the 1450s, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English obdurat(e), borrowed from Latin obdūrātus (“hardened”), perfect passive participle of obdūrō (“to harden”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ob- (“against”) + dūrō (“to harden, render hard”), from dūrus (“hard”). Compare durable, endure.

More words from Middle English, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

obdurate · verb

  1. Latinobdūrātus
  2. Englishobdurate

Borrowed from Latin obdūrātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian закоравял, закален
  • закоравял (zakoravjal)Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • закален (zakalen)Physically hardened, toughened
Czech zatvrzelý, zarytý
  • zatvrzelýStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • zarytýStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • umíněnýStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Danish hårdnakket
  • hårdnakketStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Dutch koppig, weerbarstig
  • koppigStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • weerbarstigStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • hardleersStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • onverzettelijkStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • keihardPhysically hardened, toughened
Esperanto obstina
  • obstinaStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Finnish itsepintainen, kovitettu
  • itsepintainenStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • kovitettuPhysically hardened, toughened
  • lujitettuPhysically hardened, toughened
French opiniâtre, têtu
  • opiniâtreStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • têtuStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • dur comme un rocPhysically hardened, toughened
German stur, hartnäckig
  • sturStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • hartnäckigStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • hartPhysically hardened, toughened
Greek άκαμπτος, πωρωμένος
  • άκαμπτος (ákamptos)Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • πωρωμένος (poroménos)Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • σκληρόκαρδος (sklirókardos)Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Hungarian megrögzött, megátalkodott
  • megrögzöttStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • megátalkodottStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Irish aindiúideach, dáigh
  • aindiúideachStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • dáighStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • dígeantaStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • ceanndánaStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • dolúbthaStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • righinStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • dochtStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Māori hōkeke, taringa pākura
  • hōkekeStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • taringa pākuraStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • houkekeStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • kakī mārōStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • upoko mārōStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • taumārōStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Norwegian Bokmål hardnakket
  • hardnakketStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Russian упря́мый, закосне́лый
  • упря́мый (uprjámyj)Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • закосне́лый (zakosnélyj)Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • закалённый (zakaljónnyj)Physically hardened, toughened
Spanish obduro, obdurado
  • obduroStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
  • obduradoStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent
Swedish hårdnackat
  • hårdnackatStubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

outbeard
Cite this entry
APA

obdurate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obdurate

MLA

“obdurate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obdurate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obdurate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obdurate.

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