obdurate

IPA/ˈɒbdjərət/
KK[ˈɑbdɚət]IPA/ˈɑːbdərət/

obdurate — adjective

  • obduratepositive
  • more obduratecomparative
  • most obduratesuperlative

1. not willing to change your plans, ideas, or actions even when other people try h

1.形容詞C1
釋義

not willing to change your plans, ideas, or actions even when other people try hard to persuade you otherwise

例句

Hyun remained obdurate about his decision to quit the team, no matter how much the coach begged him to stay.

remained obdurate about [decision/subject]

The landlord was obdurate and refused to fix the broken pipes despite weeks of tenant complaints.

obdurate + refused to [verb]

同義詞
  • stubborn

    more common in everyday speech; less formal than obdurate

  • unyielding

    suggests firmness under pressure, often with an honourable tone

  • intransigent

    formal and political; unwilling to compromise in negotiations

反義詞

用法筆記

Frequently used with verbs like 'remain', 'stay', or 'be' to describe a person's fixed position on a specific issue. The preposition 'about' introduces the matter being resisted.

常見錯誤

❌He was obdurate about to change his mind.
✅He was obdurate and refused to change his mind.
💡'obdurate' is an adjective; do not follow it with 'to + verb' as if it were a verb.
❌She obdurated against the proposal.
✅She was obdurate about the proposal.
💡'obdurate' is not a verb; use a linking verb before it.

2. describes a situation, problem, or quality that is very hard to improve, fix, or

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a situation, problem, or quality that is very hard to improve, fix, or make progress with

例句

Unemployment in the region has remained an obdurate problem for more than a decade.

obdurate problem

The stain on the old carpet was obdurate and would not come out no matter what soap we used.

同義詞
  • stubborn

    can apply to problems too, but less formal

  • persistent

    focuses on continuing to exist, not on resistance to change

  • intractable

    formal; of a problem that is very hard to solve or control

反義詞

用法筆記

The subject is typically an ongoing problem or undesirable condition. Not used for objects that are physically hard (e.g. 'obdurate rock'), but for difficulties that resist effort over time.

常見錯誤

❌This bread is obdurate.
✅This bread is hard/stale.
💡'obdurate' is not used for physical hardness of objects.
❌The obdurate math test was impossible.
✅The math test was obdurate
💡no matter how I tried, I could not improve my score.' — use obdurate for a quality or situation that resists change, not for something that is simply difficult.

3. continuing to do something wrong or bad, without any intention of stopping or ch

3.形容詞C2
釋義

continuing to do something wrong or bad, without any intention of stopping or changing your behaviour

例句

The court described the offender as an obdurate criminal who showed no regret for his actions.

obdurate criminal

Despite several warnings from the judge, the obdurate thief continued to steal from the same shop.

同義詞
  • incorrigible

    unable to be improved or reformed, especially of bad habits

  • hardened

    emphasises emotional numbness from repeated wrongdoing

  • recidivist

    legal term for someone who keeps committing crimes

反義詞

用法筆記

This sense carries a strong moral judgement; it is used specifically about people who knowingly do bad things and feel no shame. Distinguish from sense 1, where the person may be resisting for honourable or neutral reasons.

常見錯誤

❌My son is obdurate about doing his homework.' (if he is just being lazy)
✅My son is obdurate about lying to us even when he is caught.
💡sense 3 requires moral wrongdoing, not just reluctance.
❌He is an obdurate smoker.
✅He is a stubborn smoker.
💡smoking is a bad habit but 'obdurate' in this sense implies a stronger moral fault such as theft or fraud.

4. having no sympathy or gentle feelings towards others; emotionally hard and cold

4.形容詞C2
釋義

having no sympathy or gentle feelings towards others; emotionally hard and cold

例句

The old woman's heart had grown obdurate after a lifetime of loss and disappointment.

heart had grown obdurate

Reema remained obdurate and showed no emotion when she heard the sad news about her neighbour.

同義詞
  • callous

    cruelly insensitive; slightly more common in everyday use

  • cold-hearted

    more direct and less formal; lacking affection or warmth

  • hard-hearted

    similar to cold-hearted but slightly milder

反義詞

用法筆記

Common in literary texts describing a character's emotional coldness. Often used with 'heart' as a metaphor. Poetic and dramatic in tone.

常見錯誤

❌The obdurate weather ruined our picnic.
✅The cold, harsh weather ruined our picnic.
💡'obdurate' for weather is not idiomatic; it is reserved for human hard-heartedness.
❌She was obdurate to his kindness.
✅She was obdurate and showed no response to his kindness.
💡'obdurate' is an adjective; do not treat it as a verb requiring an object.