Obdurateness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of exhibiting extreme stubbornness or inflexibility in one’s attitudes or actions
2. The condition of having a firm, unchangeable attitude despite reasons to alter it
3. A trait characterized by an unwillingness to change opinions or behavior even when confronted with evidence

Etymology: "Obduracy" and "obdurateness" are both built on "obdurate," which came into English from Latin "obduratus," the past participle of "obdurare," meaning "to harden." The Latin verb combined "ob-" ("against" or "over") with "durare" ("to last" or "to harden"), the same root that gives English "durable" and "endure." So the word's core image is of something made hard against pressure. "Obdurateness" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "obdurate" plus the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning the quality or state of being that adjective describes. English has used "-ness" this way since Old English, attaching it to native and borrowed adjectives alike, and "obdurateness" simply names the condition of being hardened in attitude or action.

Synonyms: stubbornness, unyieldingness, inflexibility, hardness, obstinacy

Antonyms: softness, flexibility, compliance, yielding, submissiveness