Obdurating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

  1. Persistently refusing to change one's opinion or course of action, often in the face of moral considerations | Demonstrating an unyielding attitude in the face of persuasion or opposing viewpoints | Characterized by a stubborn adherence to one's beliefs, rejecting appeals for compassion or understanding
  2. Demonstrating a callous resistance to altering decisions or beliefs despite emotional arguments or pressures from others
  3. Exhibiting a hardened mindset that firmly rejects change, even when confronted with valid reasoning or empathy

Etymology: The root of this word lies in the Latin verb "obdurare," which means "to harden" or "to make firm." It combines the prefix "ob-," meaning "against" or "towards," with "durare," derived from "durus," meaning "hard" or "lasting." This construction evokes the image of something being made stubbornly hard or resistant, both physically and metaphorically. Entering English in the late Middle Ages, the verb "obdurate" originally described someone hardened in feeling or heart, resistant to persuasion or softening influences. Over time, the verbal form "obdurate" evolved into participial and gerund forms like "obdurating," which imply the ongoing action of becoming or remaining unyielding. While the word’s Latin roots emphasize a tangible hardening, English usage shifted toward a moral or emotional hardness—refusing to change one's mind or feelings. Thus, the participle form traces a process of increasing stubbornness or emotional inflexibility rather than physical rigidity. The formation of "obdurating" follows a common English pattern where the suffix "-ing" is added to a verb stem to indicate continuous or present action. Although less commonly encountered than "obdurate," this form surfaces in literary or rhetorical contexts to describe the act of persisting in a hardened state. In sum, this word’s lineage paints a journey from concrete physical hardness in Latin into abstract emotional stubbornness in English, with its participial form capturing the dynamic aspect of this resistance.