bullheaded C2+ Topic:Describing People Also spelled bull-headed US /ˈbʊlˌhɛdɪd/ UK /ˈbʊlˌhɛdɪd/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj obstinately and unreasonably stubborn He was too bullheaded to admit he had taken a wrong turn. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · obstinately and... stubbornobstinateheadstrongpigheadedmulishwillfulintransigentobdurate ↔ Opposites flexiblecompliantamenabledociletractable Word family Derived forms bullheadednessbullheadedly Related forms bullheaded Etymology AI details A compound of bull + headed, evoking the brute stubbornness of a bull. Bull is from Middle English bole, of Germanic origin; head from Old English heafod. bole Middle English heafod Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bullheaded **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbʊlˌhɛdɪd/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbʊlˌhɛdɪd/ ## Meanings 1. obstinately and unreasonably stubborn ## Examples - He was too bullheaded to admit he had taken a wrong turn. ## Synonyms - stubborn - obstinate - headstrong - pigheaded - mulish - willful - intransigent - obdurate ## Antonyms - flexible - compliant - amenable - docile - tractable ## Derived Forms - bullheadedness - bullheadedly ## Related Forms - bull - headed ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bole - Root: heafod ## Etymology A compound of bull + headed, evoking the brute stubbornness of a bull. Bull is from Middle English bole, of Germanic origin; head from Old English heafod. ## AI Etymology Bullheaded is a compound of bull + headed, evoking the brute stubbornness of a bull. Bull is from Middle English bole, of Germanic origin; head from Old English heafod. The historical trail runs through bole in Middle English and heafod in Old English. Morphologically, bullheaded is transparent: it is a compound of bull + headed, evoking the brute stubbornness of a bull. Used as an adjective, bullheaded now means "obstinately and unreasonably stubborn", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as bullheadedness and bullheadedly and related forms such as bull and headed. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct. ## Topics - Describing People - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown