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
Over the next several hundred million years, terrestrial plants of all kinds profoundly altered the planet, accelerating the water cycle, turning obdurate crust into supple soil—and pushing the level of atmospheric oxygen to new heights.
—
Ferris Jabr, The Atlantic, 25 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for obdurate
Ferris Jabr, The Atlantic, 25 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for obdurate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obdurate
Adjective
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Yet in 2016-17, free from midweek continental trips, Conte’s side stormed to the title with 93 points, spearheaded by a ruthless Diego Costa.—
Conor O'Neill,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
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Rendezvous Views The Island has been infused with an abundance of Bars, and now every opportunist is out to hit the jackpot including the ruthless crime kingpin Fletcher Kane.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Still facing a stubborn staffing crunch, the New York City Department of Correction will require officers to work mandatory 12-hour tours in a number of city jails, a move immediately criticized by their union.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2025
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Fiscal and monetary policy are walking a tightrope between weak real growth and stubborn inflation.—
William Pesek,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The most intriguing of the Japanese cast is Kasamatsu (a principal character on Max’s Tokyo Vice) as Major Nakamura, a thoughtful man who seems resistant to Colonel Kota’s instruction to be more merciless.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
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The temptation is too much for a merciless monarch to resist and she's briefed on the details of the team's counter-terrorism assignment.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Hamilton was adamant Ferrari had all the ingredients to win the world championship for the first time since 2008.—
Luke Smith,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
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But both brown and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson – a marine biologist and policy expert – are adamant that modeling climate activism in popular culture need not be all about just ringing warning bells.—
Dan Heching,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Over the course of these pictures, Mad Max himself has gone from a man who has lost everything to an existential ghost, a quiet and stony figure with no past and no future.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
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Needless to say, the comments were met with a stony silence in Europe, and were the strongest signal yet of a widening ideological and geopolitical rift between the two powers since President Donald Trump came to power.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As Shared Economy Services continues to attract extraordinary talent & experience and increases its momentum, Bobby retains his passion and remains steadfast in his vision.—
Kody Boye,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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As their friends glide in and out of liaisons, Mlotek and her boyfriend build a life together, their commitment mostly steadfast over the course of 12 years.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obdurate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obdurate. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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