obdurate
/ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/adjective
obdurate is spelled O-B-D-U-R-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 93,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, obdurate means “Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in obdurate?
| Letters | 8: O-B-D-U-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 93,703rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is obdurate?
Obdurate appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 93,703rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce obdurate?
- UK /ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/
- UK /ˈɒbdjʊɹɪt/
- UK /ˈɒbdʒəɹɪt/
Obdurate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-obdurate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of obdurate
- more obdurate comparative
- most obdurate superlative
- obdurates present, singular, he/she/it
- obdurating participle, present
- obdurated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does obdurate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.
- 2
obsoletePhysically hardened, toughened.
- 3
Hardened against feeling; hard-hearted.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo harden; to obdure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Obdurate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | opiniâtre, têtu , dur comme un roc |
| German | stur, hartnäckig , hart |
| Spanish | obduro, obdurado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does obdurate come from?
First attested in the 1450s, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English obdurat(e), borrowed from Latin obdūrātus (“hardened”), perfect passive participle of obdūrō (“to harden”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ob- (“against”) + dūrō (“to harden, render hard”), from dūrus (“hard”). Compare durable, endure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).