Holdout

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A refusal to yield or compromise on an issue can define a person or entity that maintains a firm stance, often against collective pressure or negotiation attempts
2. Someone who shows unwillingness to engage in negotiations and adheres closely to their original position may be labeled as a steadfast resistor in a group situation
3. An individual who stubbornly resists agreeing or conceding to others ; a situation where acceptance or compliance is postponed or withheld

Etymology: A holdout is someone who refuses to give way, and the word is built backwards from the phrase it grew out of. English speakers first used "hold out" as a verb meaning to stand firm against pressure, and the noun was later formed from that verb, so the verb came first and the noun is a derivative of it. The word thus describes a person in terms of the action of holding out, rather than the other way round. The phrase itself is old and physical in its roots: to hold something out is to extend it away from the body, and the sense of extending resistance or endurance grew naturally from that image of keeping something stretched forward and refusing to pull it back. Over time the verb came to mean persisting against opposition, and the person who does so took the noun name.

Synonyms: refusal, resistance, withholding

Antonyms: agreement, acceptance, compliance