Meaning & use
stubborn
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Refusing to change your mind, decision, or behavior even when others give good reasons or pressure you.
Grammar: Use very/more/most before it: a very stubborn person, more stubborn than his brother.
Patterns
- stubborn about something
- too stubborn to do something
- a stubborn refusal
- a stubborn belief
My grandfather is too stubborn to ask for directions.
She remained stubborn about leaving early, despite the storm warnings.
His stubborn refusal to listen cost the team valuable time.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Difficult to remove, deal with, cure, or change.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun, especially stain, problem, habit, cough, or resistance.
Patterns
- a stubborn stain
- a stubborn problem
- a stubborn cough
- a stubborn habit
The coffee left a stubborn ring on the countertop.
A stubborn cough kept him awake for several nights.
Breaking the stubborn habit of checking my phone took real effort.
Word forms
| comparative | more stubborn |
|---|---|
| superlative | most stubborn |
Common combinations
- stubborn refusal
- The manager's stubborn refusal to compromise angered the staff.
- stubborn resistance
- The proposal met stubborn resistance from older board members.
- stubborn stain
- Use warm water first, or that stubborn stain may set.
- stubborn streak
- He has a stubborn streak, but he usually apologizes later.
- as stubborn as a mule
- When she makes up her mind, she is as stubborn as a mule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obstinate
- Stronger and more formal than stubborn; best for people or views that will not move under any pressure.
- headstrong
- Suggests impulsively following your own wishes, while stubborn stresses refusing to change after pressure.
- unyielding
- Often describes firm positions or materials; for people it sounds less everyday than stubborn.
- tenacious
- Usually approving, meaning holding on with energy; stubborn is more often negative unless context supports praise.
Opposites
Word family
- stubbornly adverb
- In a way that refuses change: stubbornly silent.
- stubbornness noun
- The quality of being unwilling to change.
Commonly confused: stubborn or determined?
stubborn vs determined
Both can mean not giving up, but determined is usually approving and goal-focused, while stubborn is often critical of unwillingness to change.
Practice
Choose the most natural completion: After hours of scrubbing, the ___ red wine mark still would not lift.
Choose one answer.
A mark that will not lift despite effort is naturally called a stubborn stain. Flexible and willing describe people or plans, and temporary would suggest the mark was already fading, which conflicts with 'still would not lift.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stubborn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.