# obdurate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɒbdʒʊɹɪt/ · frequency rank #94,069

## Definitions
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/obdurate