adj. 1. Not changing in response to argument or other influence; obstinate or intractable: "Everyone in the region has been obdurate in water negotiations with everyone else" (Marq de Villiers). 2. a. Hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; stubbornly impenitent: "obdurate conscience of the old sinner" (Sir Walter Scott). b. Hardened against feeling; hardhearted: an obdurate miser. [Middle English obdurat, from Late Latin obdūrātus, past participle of obdūrāre, to harden, from Latin, to be hard, endure : ob-, intensive pref.; see OB- + dūrus, hard; see deru- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] obdu·rate·ly adv. obdu·ra·cy (-dr-ə-sē, -dyr-), obdu·rate·ness n. |
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