obstinacy
gb/ˈɑbstɪnəsi/ us/ˈɑbstɪnəsi/
C1
Anglais
~ 8000
Sens
0 sens
Nom
formal
C1
property
1
stubborn refusal to change
A strong and often unreasonable refusal to change what you think or do.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone]'s obstinacy in [doing something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse "obstinacy" with "obstacle". "Obstinacy" is a personality trait (stubbornness), while an "obstacle" is a thing that blocks progress. Also, learners may say *"do obstinacy"*; instead, use structures like "because of his obstinacy" or "his obstinacy in refusing".
Synonymes
stubbornness (More common and slightly less formal; very close in meaning.)
|
pigheadedness (Informal and slightly negative or humorous; emphasizes unreasonable stubbornness.)
|
intransigence (More formal and often used about politics or negotiations.)
Antonymes
open-mindedness (Emphasizes a willingness to consider new ideas, the opposite attitude of obstinacy.)
|
flexibility (Focuses on being ready to change plans or opinions when needed.)
Collocations
sheer obstinacy
|out of obstinacy
|his obstinacy in refusing
|obstinacy and pride
|displayed remarkable obstinacy
|known for her obstinacy
Thèmes
personality
|emotions
|relationships
|conflict
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- His obstinacy in rejecting any compromise eventually cost him the deal.
- The talks collapsed because of the government’s obstinacy on key issues.
- Out of sheer obstinacy, she refused to admit that she had made a mistake.
- Her parents’ obstinacy made any discussion about changing schools impossible.
- They admired his determination, but sometimes it slid into pure obstinacy.
Exemples pédagogiques
- His obstinacy made it hard to work with him.
- Because of her obstinacy, the meeting took much longer.
- The teacher was surprised by the boy’s obstinacy about doing the work.
- Their argument continued because of his obstinacy.
- People were tired of the manager’s obstinacy on every small issue.
Nom
formal
C2
property
2
persistent difficulty in being removed
When a problem or thing is very hard to remove or fix, even after many tries.
Schéma d’usage :
the obstinacy of [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think this meaning always refers to people. In this sense, "obstinacy" usually describes things like diseases, stains, problems, or inflation, not a person’s character.
Synonymes
persistence (Neutral; does not carry the negative, frustrating tone that "obstinacy" has.)
|
intractability (Formal and often technical; commonly used for very hard problems or conflicts.)
Antonymes
removability (Emphasizes that something can be taken away or erased without much difficulty.)
|
tractability (Formal; describes something that is easy to manage or solve.)
Collocations
the obstinacy of the stain
|the obstinacy of the disease
|the obstinacy of the problem
|the obstinacy of inflation
Thèmes
problems
|health
|work
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The obstinacy of the stain on the carpet frustrated the cleaners.
- Doctors were alarmed by the obstinacy of the infection despite several rounds of antibiotics.
- Economists warned about the obstinacy of high inflation in the region.
- The obstinacy of the software bug delayed the product launch.
- She was surprised by the obstinacy of the rumor, which refused to die even after it was disproved.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The obstinacy of the stain made her angry.
- We were worried about the obstinacy of the problem.
- The obstinacy of the cough showed that he was still sick.
- The obstinacy of the error stopped us from finishing the project.
- They talked about the obstinacy of the high prices.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
obstinacy
API
GB/ˈɑbstɪnəsi/
US/ˈɑbstɪnəsi/
Syllabes et accentuation
ob - stin - acy (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (ob)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: obstinacy
- Plural: obstinacy
Famille de mots
Core family
obstinate
adjective C1
obstinately
adverb
Expressions
out of sheer obstinacy
1/ˈaʊt əv ʃˈɪɹ ˈɑbstɪnəsi/
fixed phrase
motivated only by stubbornness
Because someone is very stubborn and only wants to stand firm, not because it is smart or necessary.
Exemples
- He stayed in the job out of sheer obstinacy, even though he hated it.
- She refused to apologize out of sheer obstinacy, not because she thought she was right.
- They kept the old system out of sheer obstinacy, despite everyone’s complaints.