Obstinateness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being stubborn or unyielding in attitude
2. A state characterized by a firm adherence to one’s beliefs or desires despite opposition
3. The trait of resisting change or persuasion, often leading to conflict

Etymology: "Obstinateness" is a plain English formation: the adjective "obstinate" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning "the quality or state of being" that adjective describes. The suffix goes back to Old English "-nes," and it has been attached to native and borrowed adjectives alike for over a thousand years, so the word needed no special invention. The adjective it rests on is the more interesting part. "Obstinate" comes from the Latin "obstinatus," the past participle of "obstinare," meaning "to persist" or "to set oneself firmly," built from "ob-" ("against") and "stinare," a verb of uncertain origin. The Latin sense is one of planted resolve rather than stubbornness as a fault, and the English adjective kept that firmness. The noun, then, names the condition of holding one's ground in the face of resistance.

Synonyms: stubbornness, intractability, pigheadedness, willfulness, tenacity

Antonyms: compliance, cooperation, flexibility, yielding, submissiveness