obdurate

顽固不化

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

2026-07-17

1 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2026 is: obdurate • AHB-duh-rut  • adjective Obdurate is a formal word that means "resistant to persuasion." It is usually used to describe someone who is not willing to change their methods or opinions, or something that is not easily altered. // Though obdurate problems loom, the organization under its new leadership is poised to make real and effective changes. See the entry > Examples: "... even great careers must end sometime, and as often as not against obdurate wills." — Greg Baum, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 Dec. 2025 Did you know? When trying to persuade someone who has an obdurate disposition, you may end up feeling rather dour about your ability to change their mind. To endure such encounters in the future, you may find that you need to be more durable and not let the person's mulishness get you down. Maybe you will find such situations less stressful if you can face them knowing that the words obdurate, dour, endure, and durable are etymological kissing cousins. All trace back to the Latin adjective durus, which means "hard."
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • It's the Word of the Day podcast for July 17th.

  • Today's word is obdurate, spelled O-B-D-U-R-A-T-E.

  • Obdurate is an adjective.

  • It's a formal word that means resistant to persuasion.

  • It's also usually used to describe someone who is not willing to change their methods

  • or opinions or something that is not easily altered.

  • Here's the word used in a sentence from the Sydney Morning Herald.

  • Even great careers must end sometime.

  • And as often as not, against obdurate wills.

  • When trying to persuade someone who has an obdurate disposition,

  • you may end up feeling rather dour about your ability to change their mind.

  • To endure such encounters in the future,

  • you may find that you need to be more durable and not let the person's mulishness get you down.

  • Maybe you will find such situations less stressful if you can face them knowing that the words obdurate, dour, endure,

  • and durable are etymological kissing cousins, all traced back to the Latin adjective durus, which means hard.

  • With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

  • Visit merriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.