obdurate
Refusing to change an opinion or course of action.
ExampleThe negotiator was obdurate despite several reasonable offers.
ExampleThe mayor remained obdurate even after public criticism intensified.
Usage Scenarios
Negotiation context
Use obdurate when talks fail because someone will not compromise.
ExampleThe board's obdurate stance prevented a reasonable settlement.
Evidence ignored
Use it when a person refuses to change even after the facts shift.
ExampleThe critic was obdurate, dismissing every new piece of evidence.
Usage Guide
Use obdurate when a GRE sentence criticizes someone for refusing to yield despite reason, evidence, pressure, or persuasion.
Strong chunks include remain obdurate, obdurate refusal, obdurate opponent, and obdurate resistance. The context usually suggests inflexibility.
Do not use obdurate for admirable persistence unless the sentence clearly praises stubborn endurance. In GRE usage, the tone is usually negative.
Word Forms & Word Building
Obdurate is built from a root related to hardening, which explains the sense of a hardened attitude.
Obduracy is the noun formed with the suffix -acy and means stubborn refusal to change.
Build phrase chunks around resistance: remain obdurate, obdurate refusal, obdurate stance, obdurate opponent.
Meaning Boundaries
Obdurate vs firm
Firm can be positive. Obdurate usually criticizes a person for being unreasonably hard to persuade.
Obdurate vs intransigent
Both mean unwilling to compromise. Intransigent often appears in political or negotiation contexts; obdurate emphasizes hardened resistance.
Register
Obdurate is formal and common in GRE contexts about argument, reform, leadership, and resistance to evidence.
Memory Tricks
Think hardened against persuasion. Obdurate is stubbornness that reason cannot soften.
Pair it with intransigent; both are GRE refusal words, but obdurate often feels more emotionally hardened.
Look for clues like despite evidence, refused to yield, would not compromise, or remained unmoved.
Common Traps
Do not use obdurate for ordinary determination in a positive sentence.
Do not confuse obdurate with durable. Durable means long-lasting; obdurate means stubborn.
If the sentence praises wise consistency, steadfast may fit better than obdurate.