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REFERENCE

stubborn

adj.
US //ˈstəbɝn// UK //stˈʌbən// stub·born
  1. 1 refusing to change (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    refusing to change your mind or your behavior, even when people give you good reasons to do so.

    unreasonably or perversely unyielding; refusing to change one's opinion or course of action despite persuasion.

    Example

    He was too stubborn to admit that he had taken the wrong road.

    Example

    The negotiator remained stubborn throughout the afternoon, refusing to concede even the most minor points of the contract.
  2. 2 difficult to move or fix (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    difficult to move, remove, or deal with.

    difficult to handle, manage, or treat; resistant to physical force or chemical action.

    Example

    I used a special soap to get the stubborn grass stains out of my jeans.

    Example

    The mechanic spent hours wrestling with a stubborn bolt that had rusted into place over several decades.
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  1. 3 stiff or inflexible (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    describing a material that is stiff and does not bend or melt easily.

    physically stiff and inflexible; specifically used in technical contexts for materials that are difficult to work or melt.

    Example

    The old leather had become stubborn and hard to sew after years in the sun.

    Example

    Certain stubborn ores require significantly higher temperatures before they begin the smelting process.
Origin

From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor, whence English bitter).

Word family

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