OB'STINACY, noun [Latin obstinatio, from obsto, to stand against, to oppose; ob and sto.] 1. A fixedness in opinion or resolution that cannot be shaken at all, or not without great difficulty; firm and usually unreasonable adherence to an opinion, purpose or system; a fixedness that will not yield to persuasion, arguments or other means. obstinacy may not always convey the idea of unreasonable or unjustifiable firmness; as when we say, soldiers fight with obstinacy But often, and perhaps usually, the word denotes a fixedness of resolution which is not to be vindicated under the circumstances; stubbornness; pertinacity; persistency. 2. Fixedness that will not yield to application, or that yields with difficulty; as the obstinacy of a disease or evil.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI