How to Use obstinate in a Sentence

obstinate

adjective
  • My parents remain as obstinate as ever.
  • Not when Jaclyn is obstinate and over it.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Ed remains obstinate, but the other guys keep them from coming to blows.
    — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 18 Nov. 2020
  • And the obstinate idiosyncrasies of his music were at times judged even more harshly.
    — Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2020
  • Doing good self-care is different than just being obstinate and willful.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, 25 July 2019
  • Ever obstinate nearly two centuries after his death, Beethoven still won’t roll over.
    — Mark Swed, latimes.com, 8 June 2018
  • Little is known about why Snyder is taking such an obstinate stance in the case of Sutton.
    — Vahe Gregorian, kansascity.com, 2 June 2017
  • One irritating or obstinate writer can bring the entire machinery of a show to a halt.
    — Mike Reiss, WSJ, 25 May 2018
  • When Kayla rode Tonka, the horse was still a bit obstinate and persnickety.
    — Roy Bragg, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Apr. 2018
  • Her life, shuttling between two obstinate men, starts to seem unsustainable.
    — Rachel Syme, The New Republic, 24 Apr. 2018
  • As two tiny eyes peer out from beneath the shell, short tentacles tickle the air, revealing a certain obstinate charm.
    — Degen Pener, Los Angeles Magazine, 22 June 2018
  • Our investor was obstinate, the seller was impatient, and my team was exhausted.
    — Pankaj Vasani, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • These books can feel obstinate in their refusal of pleasure—an approach that does not seem to interest Berman in the slightest.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
  • These books can feel obstinate in their refusal of pleasure—an approach that does not seem to interest Berman in the slightest.
    — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Taureans may find their horns locked with fellow obstinate signs Leos and Aquarians.
    — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, 27 Oct. 2017
  • Since the first cases here were diagnosed nearly five weeks ago, an obstinate equanimity has prevailed.
    — Arthur Longworth, The New York Review of Books, 12 Apr. 2020
  • The things museums collect are often obstinate and unyielding; research and context can be a way of coaxing them to speak.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 26 June 2026
  • Since obstinate listing agents of this ilk do not care about their online reputation, your neighbor must hire a real estate attorney who does.
    — Pat Kapowich, The Mercury News, 6 June 2019
  • Khamenei’s obstinate refusal to effect any meaningful change and his bloody massacre of civilians in droves have brought Iranians to this point.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), is away on a months-long work trip, forcing her to deal with their obstinate landlord alone.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Bell-Johnson was obstinate in an interview with detectives and made no admission.
    — Emerson Clarridge updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Especially obstinate bottles mean plumbers have to remove the entire toilet. The case has been passed off to the Sheboygan County District Attorney's Office for charges to be filed, WBAY reports.
    — Jared Gilmour, miamiherald, 30 May 2018
  • All these gifts come with notes signed off with a smiley face, and an obstinate red bow that becomes something of an ominous symbol after the third successive casual drop-by.
    — Tom Philip, GQ, 25 Mar. 2018
  • The process went smoothly until an obstinate 19th-century steamer trunk refused to open and reveal its insides.
    — Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, 22 May 2018
  • Fleming's Bond is often described as cold, but the novels do offer a glimpse of his inner life -- his sense of duty, his moral courage, his obstinate resilience.
    — Will Nevin, OregonLive.com, 14 July 2017
  • The council is obstinate, dismissive.
    — Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Abs can be the most obstinate body part to train, with long and arduous workout routines seemingly yielding little reward compared to other muscle groups.
    — Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 21 June 2023
  • But Haley and Roethlisberger are the obstinate toddlers trying turning their heads every which way.
    — Ryan Wooden, ajc, 8 Oct. 2017
  • At this point, this is pure theater from Schumer, Jeffries, and the rest of the obstinate Democratic Party leaders.
    — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Bombastic and obstinate, Johnson's speeches were full of self-praise and contradictory claims of triumph.
    — Steve Haycox, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 July 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obstinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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