obdurate

Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day — "Obdurate" (July 17, 2026)

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Episode Overview

On this episode, Merriam-Webster's host Peter Sokolowski delves into the word "obdurate", unpacking its meaning, usage, and linguistic roots. The episode’s primary theme is expanding vocabulary and deepening listeners' understanding of formal adjectives, with a special focus on words describing stubbornness and resistance to change.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

• Definition and Usage

  • "Obdurate" is introduced as an adjective, spelled “o-b-d-u-r-a-t-e.”
  • Meaning: resistant to persuasion; describes someone unwilling to change their methods or opinions, or something not easily altered.
  • Formal register; often applied to people or sometimes to things.

• Example Sentence

  • A quote from the Sydney Morning Herald illustrates usage in context:

    "Even great careers must end sometime, and as often as not, against obdurate wills."
    [00:23]

• Describing People and Situations

  • When persuading someone with “an obdurate disposition,” the host notes, you might feel “rather dour about your ability to change their mind.”
  • Facing obdurate individuals repeatedly may require you to become more “durable” and not be discouraged by their “mulishness.”
  • Useful linguistic advice is given for emotionally handling stubborn situations—identifying the root of the behavior may help manage frustration.

• Etymology and Word Connections

  • The host draws an etymological link between several words:
    • "Obdurate," "dour," "endure," and "durable."
    • All derive from the Latin adjective "durus," meaning “hard.”
  • This connection is referred to playfully as “etymological kissing cousins.” [01:10]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Peter Sokolowski:

  "Obdurate is an adjective. It's a formal word that means resistant to persuasion. It's also usually used to describe someone who is not willing to change their methods or opinions, or something that is not easily altered."
  [00:08]

• Usage Example:

  "Even great careers must end sometime, and as often as not, against obdurate wills."
  [00:23]

• On Kindred Words:

  "The words obdurate, dour, endure and durable are etymological kissing cousins—all trace back to the Latin adjective durus, which means hard."
  [01:10]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:08] — Definition and part of speech of "obdurate"
• [00:23] — Example sentence from the Sydney Morning Herald
• [00:40] — Description of emotional responses to obdurate people
• [01:10] — Etymological connections to “dour,” “endure,” and “durable”

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Tone and Delivery

The host, Peter Sokolowski, maintains a warm, knowledgeable, and encouraging tone, making formal vocabulary approachable while providing practical etymological insights. The episode is concise, informative, and invites listeners to appreciate the interconnectedness of English words.

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Summary

This episode serves as an engaging exposition on “obdurate,” giving listeners not only a clear definition and example usage, but also useful context, etymological depth, and memorable language connections—all within a friendly and expert tone. Listeners walk away ready to use “obdurate” accurately and to recognize its “kissing cousin” words in conversation and writing.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. It's the Word of the day podcast for July 17 Today's Word is obdurate. Spelled O B D U R A T e. Obdurate is an adjective. It's a formal word that means resistant to persuasion. It's also usually used to describe someone who is not willing to change their methods or opinions, or something that is not easily altered. Here's the word used in a sentence from the Sydney Morning Herald Even great careers must end sometime, and as often as not, against obdurate wills. When trying to persuade someone who has an obdurate disposition, you may end up feeling rather dour about your ability to change their mind. To endure such encounters in the future, you may find that you need to be more durable and not let the person's mulishness get you down. Maybe you will find such situations less stressful if you can face them. Knowing that the words obdurate, dour, endure and durable are etymological kissing cousins all trace back to the Latin adjective durus, which means hard. With your Word of the Day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

[B]

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