obdurately

adverb

as in pitilessly

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of obdurately After decades of obdurately refusing to entertain the idea of bestowing its computers with touch screens, rumor has it that Apple might finally offer this capability. — PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obdurately
  1. pitilessly
  2. ruthlessly
  3. tyrannically
  4. mercilessly
  5. heartlessly
  6. unsparingly
  7. unmercifully
  8. callously
Adverb
  • The season finale brings the various strands of the story together elegantly and a bit pitilessly, too, as the body count continues to rise and the struggle for survival grows genuinely desperate.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of pitilessly
Adverb
  • The garment industry is ruthlessly competitive and manufacturers fear that any rise in costs or supply disruption could see orders shift to rival Vietnam, Cambodia, or Pakistan.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Theorists such as Nick Bostrom have long warned that an advanced model might inflict immense harm by taking a human prompt too literally and pursuing its goal too ruthlessly.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruthlessly
Adverb
  • But his voice tyrannically resounds with sadistic orders and conservative cultural commentary during the second-act flashback scene, in which a fateful day on the set of the show changes the lives of Ronika and Blair.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Gulliver’s third voyage takes him to the flying island of Laputa, which rules tyrannically over several territories situated below.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of tyrannically
Adverb
  • But there were more hilarious moments, the biggest being Tkachuk's full-on heel turn when the team showed a tribute video that got mercilessly booed by the crowd.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This is no small feat in a city where working class locals are priced out mercilessly to make way for the ultra-wealthy here to work on their winter tans.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of mercilessly
Adverb
  • The economist was infamous in London’s philosophical circles for arguing fervently—and, many thought, heartlessly—against poor relief.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Victim Nyron Shaw’s father said the driver who mowed his son down last year in Ocean Hill a day before Independence Day should face the maximum penalty for allegedly driving twice the speed limit and heartlessly taking off, leaving his son to die.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of heartlessly
Adverb
  • Kahlo vibrantly and unsparingly depicted herself and events from her life, which was upended by a bus accident at 18.
    — Hannah Schoenbaum, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025
  • The episode unsparingly examines cultural assumptions about race and colorism; similarly, HIM is a scathing critique of how professional sports capitalize upon the bodies and minds of Black athletes.
    — Neda Ulaby, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of unsparingly
Adverb
  • Any party member who seeks to defy his wishes risks losing a seat, being unmercifully gaslit, or trashed on Truth Social.
    — Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 22 May 2026
  • Now my son is dead after suffering unmercifully.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of unmercifully
Adverb
  • Along with that oh-so-sweet commercial success came rounds of discourse that callously dissected her racial identity, her relationship with her Blackness, and the winding history of genre in the context of American music.
    — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026
  • While Boeing callously deflects blame for their negligence, a family of one victim finds strength in gathering collective mourning.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of callously

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Cite this Entry

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

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