1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the obdurate refusal of the crotchety old man to let the neighborhood kids retrieve their stray ball from his backyard
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
an obdurate farmer who could never be convinced to try a different method of fertilization
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obdurate
To Matthew and Rachelle, who by now had become attuned to the obdurate implacability of British authorities, the coroner’s response was maddening: this was their final opportunity to ascertain the truth.
—
Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Regina Hall came down with pneumonia while shooting Girls Trip, the irreverent 2017 comedy from Will Packer, a savant who repeatedly has shown an obdurate Hollywood that Black movies can mint money at the box office.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2024
By the spring of 1945, with Germany defeated, the Allies turned to an obdurate Japan.
—Peter Englund, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
The camera often pans to the obdurate face of an office clock, showing time frozen but also inexorably passing—the burning fuse of Chow and Su’s relationship.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for obdurate 
Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Regina Hall came down with pneumonia while shooting Girls Trip, the irreverent 2017 comedy from Will Packer, a savant who repeatedly has shown an obdurate Hollywood that Black movies can mint money at the box office.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2024
By the spring of 1945, with Germany defeated, the Allies turned to an obdurate Japan.
—Peter Englund, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
The camera often pans to the obdurate face of an office clock, showing time frozen but also inexorably passing—the burning fuse of Chow and Su’s relationship.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for obdurate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obdurate
Adjective
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The lawyer who normally practices in New York is gregarious, quick with a joke and always happy to talk to the media, but can be ruthless in cross-examination.—
Andrew Dalton,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2025
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City are going through some stuff, Arsenal aren’t ruthless enough, Chelsea are wobbling, teams will figure out how to beat Nottingham Forest soon enough, Newcastle are the form team now but are an Alexander Isak injury away from trouble.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The stubborn machine has won, and politicians are, for the most part, just fodder, which means that every politician who has to stand in front of a camera after a tragedy turns into another battle site in an endless culture war.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
16 Jan. 2025
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Coaches will tell you of a character who could be grumpy or stubborn, but also of someone who needed faith shown in him.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The funniest movie ever made about the experience of being snubbed for an Oscar nomination, For Your Consideration found Christopher Guest and company moving away from their patented mockumentary format for this hilarious and merciless satire.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
22 Jan. 2025
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But some part of her yearns to be merciless—to make all these women confess.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In an interview days before Trump’s inauguration, Rosenworcel is adamant that regulation is part of the answer to America’s telecom security crisis.—
Eric Geller,
WIRED,
17 Jan. 2025
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David Poole is adamant that the sales team is always upfront about the risks as well as upsides of investing.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Analysis found the samples were ordinary chondrites, the most common type of stony meteorite found on Earth, accounting for about 86 percent of all space rocks recovered.—
Julian Dossett,
Space.com,
21 Jan. 2025
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Netanyahu is far more popular in Israel now than before the war and the Egyptian leader, who has viciously persecuted its parent organization, the global Muslim Brotherhood, has been reprieved by Western creditors in reward for maintaining a stony silence over Gaza.—
Max Rodenbeck,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As those factors emerged, NBA front-office sources remained steadfast that Flagg was the No. 1 pick.—
Sam Vecenie,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
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In contrast, Pence, speaking at an educational forum in Taipei, expressed his belief that the United States should remain steadfast in its commitments.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near obdurate
Cite this Entry
“Obdurate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obdurate. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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