hardheadedness

noun

1
as in persistence
a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion her unrelenting hardheadedness didn't win many friends, but it helped her to get her way most of the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intelligence
exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters the hardheadedness of a bean counter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardheadedness
  1. persistence
  2. intelligence
  3. stubbornness
  4. wit
  5. persistency
  6. wisdom
  7. intransigence
  8. shrewdness
Noun
  • Of course, the persistence of traders to keep doubling down on AI could also be a sign of a bubble.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Passion opens the door, but sustainability requires strong partnerships, financial discipline, persistence and good operations.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of persistence
Noun
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, repeated his warning Sunday that Iran or its proxies could launch an attack before the election to disrupt the vote, citing intelligence.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • What readers are saying The comments discuss a case involving a person who sent letters containing a suspicious substance, with many commenters criticizing the individual's intelligence for including his return address.
    — Violet Jira, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of intelligence
Noun
  • That stubbornness gave him the ability to articulate different sides toward a greater goal.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The reason behind this stubbornness is the carbon-fluorine bond.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of stubbornness
Noun
  • Maybe not laugh-out-loud humor, though that’s there, but other forms of humor like wit, deadpan, understatement, exaggeration, recognition, irony.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Naturally, Roan brought her signature candor and wit to the performance, joking around with fans in the audience.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wit
Noun
  • The Home Service Insurance segment experienced a decline in premiums, attributed to strategic actions to improve sales quality and persistency, as well as economic pressures such as inflation.
    — Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The tannins are well structured yet soft and the wine has great persistency in the finish.
    — Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 2 May 2023
Definition of persistency
Noun
  • The Democrat, who supports Jackson, thinks there’s wisdom in trying to avoid gaffes that distract from Collins.
    — Julia Terruso, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Peralta’s revival shows how postseason fortunes can defy conventional baseball wisdom and earn second chances for players.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of wisdom
Noun
  • One reason for the Kremlin's intransigence is that Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have a relatively greater impact than Ukraine's.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The fact that so many diplomats before him have struggled is a testament not to the intransigence of international problems but to the mediocrity of his predecessors.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of intransigence
Noun
  • Spain’s shrewdness came in their refusal to engage with off-the-ball trivialities.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Instead, Franklin will rise by virtue of hard work and (actual) shrewdness.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of shrewdness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

hardheaded
hardheadedness
hardheads
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hardheadedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardheadedness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All