Obdurate

I dedicate today's blog entry, obdurate, to my hubby. Whether you pronounce it |äb-doo-ət| or |äb-dyoo-ət|, it just means stubborn. Which is what Mark was being the other evening, getting in my way, insisting on doing the dishes when he should've been working on tax stuff. So when I hit him with the big gun, his foremost question -- after "what the heck was that word," and "is that a real word?" -- was, "don't you mean obstinate?" Ah, clearly I've been rubbing off on him!

Truth be told, obstinate is better than obdurate, but both really should just take a backseat to good, old stubborn or inflexible. But, hey, whatever works for you; I'm pliable.

Dictionary Definition
From Latin obduratus, meaning hardened, or hardened in heart.
1. hardened in wickedness or sin, persistently impenitent, stubbornly resisting or insensible to moral influence (oops, sorry honey -- didn't mean that!)
2. hardened or hardening oneself against persuasion, entreaty, the sentiment of pity, etc.; stubborn, obstinate, unyielding, inflexible, relentless, hard-hearted, inexorable.