stubbornness

Everyday

1. Stubbornness is refusing to change your mind or do what others want, even when there are good reasons. tree →
2. Stubbornness can also be a good thing, meaning determination: not giving up when things are hard. tree →
3. Stubbornness of a thing means it is hard to move, remove or fix: the stubbornness of a stain. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and PSHE it is a character trait, sometimes a fault and sometimes a strength. In everyday talk parents describe toddlers' stubbornness. Phrases: "out of stubbornness", "sheer stubbornness", "stubbornness of a mule" (mules are thought of as stubborn).

Examples

• His stubbornness stopped him from saying sorry. tree →
• Out of stubbornness, she would not wear a coat. tree →
• Her stubbornness helped her finish the marathon. tree →
• The toddler's stubbornness made bedtime hard. tree →
• Mules are famous for their stubbornness. tree →
• Sheer stubbornness kept the team going in the rain. tree →
• The stubbornness of the stain meant we had to scrub it. tree →
• It is better to yield than to come to misfortune through stubbornness. tree →

Note

Spelling trap: two n's in the middle (stubborn + ness). Uncountable. Adjective: stubborn; adverb: stubbornly. Close words: obstinacy (formal), pigheadedness (informal), determination (positive).

In Jewish tradition

Stubbornness is refusing to listen or change. The prophets and psalms speak of "the stubbornness of the heart," and Samuel says it is as bad as idolatry.

Interpretation. Moses prays for Israel after the golden calf, asking God to remember the patriarchs rather than the people's faults. Israel is often called "stiff-necked" in the Torah. Samuel's saying is read as teaching that refusing to obey God is as serious as serving idols, and Jeremiah and the Psalms see it as a main cause of exile.

Examples

• Remember Thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin; (Torah DEU.9.27, JPS 1917) tree →
• For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. (Prophets 1SA.15.23, JPS 1917) tree →
• So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, that they might walk in their own counsels. (Writings PSA.81.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• But have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them. (Prophets JER.9.13, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Spelling trap: two n's in the middle (stubborn + ness). Uncountable. Adjective: stubborn; adverb: stubbornly. Close words: obstinacy (formal), pigheadedness (informal), determination (positive).