obdurate

Name: obdurate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/

//ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt// adj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“obdurate” is an uncommon English word, ranked #94,069 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#94,069
frequency rank, English: 8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.

Key facts for obdurate
Property	Value
Headword	obdurate
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#94,069
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obdurate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). obdurate lands here:

#94,069

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for obdurate is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #94,069 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for obdurate in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 … The correct English form is obdurate, spelled O-B-D-U-R-A-T-E.

Definition

1
Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.
2
Physically hardened, toughened.
3
Hardened against feeling; hard-hearted.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

opiniâtre(Français)stur(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "obdurate"?

"obdurate" is spelled O-B-D-U-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/.

What does "obdurate" mean?

As an adjective, "obdurate" means: Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent.

How do you pronounce "obdurate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obdurate" is /ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "obdurate"?

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”) + ... See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “obdurate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is O-B-D-U-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.