Adamancy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A determined adherence to principles or beliefs, illustrating a relentless inflexibility in viewpoint
2. The quality of being extremely firm and unyielding in purpose or opinion
3. A state of steady persistence and refusal to change one’s mind or stance

Etymology: Adamancy comes from the Ancient Greek "adámas," meaning unbreakable or untameable, the same root that gave English "adamant." In Greek the word was applied to the hardest substances known, and it was later used for diamond, which is why the stone's name still carries the sense of something that cannot be worn down or broken. The "-ancy" ending is a suffix that turns an adjective into a noun of state or quality, as in "constancy" or "vacancy." Attaching it to "adamant" produces a noun for the quality of being immovable, so the word describes not hardness of material but a stubborn refusal to yield in belief or principle.

Synonyms: determination, steadfastness, unyieldingness

Antonyms: flexibility, yielding, indecision