stubbornness

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /ˈstʌbɚnnəs/ UK /ˈstʌbənnəs/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
dogged refusal to change one's mind or course

Her sheer stubbornness carried the project past every obstacle.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · dogged refusal to change... obstinacy intransigenceobduracydoggednesswillfulnessinflexibility pertinacity

Opposites

flexibility compliance docilityamenability

Word family

Related forms stubborn stubbornly

Etymology

From stubborn + -ness. Stubborn is from Middle English stiborn, of obscure origin, possibly related to stub ('tree stump'), suggesting something rooted and immovable.

stiborn Middle English

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Topics

Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives

# stubbornness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈstʌbɚnnəs
**IPA (UK):** ˈstʌbənnəs

## Meanings
1. dogged refusal to change one's mind or course

## Examples
- Her sheer stubbornness carried the project past every obstacle.

## Synonyms
- obstinacy
- intransigence
- obduracy
- doggedness
- willfulness
- inflexibility
- pertinacity

## Antonyms
- flexibility
- compliance
- docility
- amenability

## Related Forms
- stubborn
- stubbornly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: stiborn

## Etymology
From stubborn + -ness. Stubborn is from Middle English stiborn, of obscure origin, possibly related to stub ('tree stump'), suggesting something rooted and immovable.

## AI Etymology
Stubbornness is from stubborn + -ness. Stubborn is from Middle English stiborn, of obscure origin, possibly related to stub ('tree stump'), suggesting something rooted and immovable. Important recorded forms include stiborn (Middle English). Morphologically, the native -ness suffix turns an adjective or quality word into an abstract noun naming the state or condition. The wording preserves that uncertainty: the older history is best read as a cautious account rather than a fully settled chain. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers dogged refusal to change one's mind or course. The wider family includes related words such as stubborn and stubbornly.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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