Obstinacy

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Obstinacy \Ob"sti*na*cy\, n. [See {Obstinate}.]
     1. A fixedness in will, opinion, or resolution that can not
        be shaken at all, or only with great difficulty; firm and
        usually unreasonable adherence to an opinion, purpose, or
        system; unyielding disposition; stubborness; pertinacity;
        persistency; contumacy.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              You do not well in obstinacy
              To cavil in the course of this contract. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              To shelter their ignorance, or obstinacy, under the
              obscurity of their terms.             --Locke.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The quality or state of being difficult to remedy,
        relieve, or subdue; as, the obstinacy of a disease or
        evil.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Pertinacity; firmness; resoluteness; inflexibility;
          persistency; stubbornness; perverseness; contumacy.
  
     Usage: {Obstinacy}, {Pertinacity}. Pertinacity denotes great
            firmness in holding to a thing, aim, etc. Obstinacy is
            great firmness in holding out against persuasion,
            attack, etc. The former consists in adherence, the
            latter in resistance. An opinion is advocated with
            pertinacity or defended with obstinacy. Pertinacity is
            often used in a good sense; obstinacy generally in a
            bad one. "In this reply was included a very gross
            mistake, and if with pertinacity maintained, a capital
            error." --Sir T. Browne. "Every degree of obstinacy in
            youth is one step to rebellion." --South.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  obstinacy
       n 1: the trait of being difficult to handle or overcome [syn: {stubbornness},
             {obstinance}, {mulishness}]
       2: resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires [syn: {stubbornness},
           {bullheadedness}, {obstinance}, {pigheadedness}, {self-will}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  247 Moby Thesaurus words for "obstinacy":
     adhesiveness, antagonism, antipathy, application, assiduity,
     assiduousness, averseness, aversion, backwardness, bad blood,
     bloody-mindedness, bulldog tenacity, bullheadedness,
     cantankerousness, challenge, clashing, cohesiveness, collision,
     combative reaction, commitment, competition, complaint,
     concentration, conflict, consistency, constancy, contrariety,
     contrariness, contumaciousness, contumacy, counteraction,
     cross-purposes, cursoriness, decidedness, decision, decisiveness,
     dedication, defiance, defiance of authority, definiteness, demur,
     determinateness, determination, determinedness, devotion,
     diligence, disaccord, disagreement, disinclination, disobedience,
     dispute, disrelish, dissension, dissent, dissentience, distaste,
     dogged perseverance, doggedness, earnestness, endurance, energy,
     engrossment, enmity, fidelity, firmness, fixedness, foot-dragging,
     force, fortitude, fractiousness, friction, frowardness,
     fundamentalism, gluiness, glutinosity, grudging consent,
     grudgingness, gumminess, guts, gutsiness, hardiness, hardness,
     heartiness, hostility, imperviousness, impliability,
     indefatigability, indisposedness, indisposition, indocility,
     industriousness, industry, inexorability, inflexibility,
     inimicalness, insistence, insistency, intestinal fortitude,
     intractability, intractableness, intransigence, lack of enthusiasm,
     lack of zeal, loyalty, lustihood, lustiness, might, mightiness,
     mulishness, mutinousness, negativeness, negativism, nolition,
     noncooperation, obduracy, obdurateness, objection, obstinateness,
     obstreperousness, opposition, oppugnancy, orneriness, orthodoxy,
     passive resistance, patience, patience of Job, perfunctoriness,
     permanence, perseverance, persistence, persistency,
     pertinaciousness, pertinacity, perverseness, perversity,
     pigheadedness, plodding, plugging, potency, power, powerfulness,
     precisianism, preoccupation, protest, purism, puritanism, purpose,
     purposefulness, reaction, rebelliousness, rebuff, recalcitrance,
     recalcitrancy, recalcitration, refractoriness, refusal,
     relentlessness, reluctance, remonstrance, renitence, renitency,
     repellence, repellency, repugnance, repulse, repulsion, resistance,
     resoluteness, resolution, resolve, resolvedness, restiveness,
     retention, revolt, rigidity, rigidness, rigor, rigorousness,
     rivalry, robustness, ruggedness, sedulity, sedulousness, self-will,
     seriousness, sincerity, single-mindedness, singleness of purpose,
     slogging, slowness, snugness, stability, stalwartness, stamina,
     stand, staying power, steadfastness, steadiness,
     stick-to-itiveness, stickiness, sticking power, stiffness,
     stolidity, stoutness, strength, strength of will, stubbornness,
     sturdiness, sulk, sulkiness, sulks, sullenness, tackiness,
     tenaciousness, tenacity, tightness, tirelessness, total commitment,
     toughness, unbendingness, uncompromisingness, uncooperativeness,
     unenthusiasm, unimpressionability, uninfluenceability,
     unmovability, unpersuadability, unreceptiveness, unrelentingness,
     unremittingness, unresponsiveness, unruliness, unsuggestibility,
     unsusceptibility, unswayableness, unswerving attention,
     unwillingness, unyieldingness, vigor, vigorousness, viscidity,
     viscosity, vitality, vying, wildness, will, withstanding