"obstinacious" means: Obstinacious is a dated American regional variant of 'obstinate', meaning stubbornly persistent in refusing to change one's position or comp.... This is technical or formal vocabulary, more likely to appear in school work, news or a particular profession than in peer chat. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your child uses the term, it is usually a sign of curiosity about a subject area. A short follow-up question about where they came across it is usually all that is needed.
obstinacious
Obstinacious is a dated American regional variant of 'obstinate', meaning stubbornly persistent in refusing to change one's position or comply with requests.
Definitions
#1·Apr 28, 2026
Obstinacious is a dated American regional variant of 'obstinate', meaning stubbornly persistent in refusing to change one's position or comply with requests. It appears to blend 'obstinate' with the '-acious' suffix pattern seen in words like 'tenacious' or 'audacious', perhaps under folk influence. The word is not standard in modern American English and would read as archaic, humorous, or dialectal to most contemporary speakers. It belongs to the tradition of expressive American folk vocabulary rather than formal usage.
The old man was the most obstinacious mule of a neighbour you'd ever meet — he refused to move his fence regardless of the survey.
Origin: Likely a folk blend of 'obstinate' (from Latin 'obstinatus', from 'obstinare' — to persist) with the '-acious' suffix (from Latin '-ax, -acis'), following the pattern of adjectives denoting persistent qualities. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora (model-assisted, hedged).
For parents
"obstinacious" means: Obstinacious is a dated American regional variant of 'obstinate', meaning stubbornly persistent in refusing to change one's position or comp.... This is technical or formal vocabulary, more likely to appear in school work, news or a particular profession than in peer chat. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your child uses the term, it is usually a sign of curiosity about a subject area. A short follow-up question about where they came across it is usually all that is needed.
For ESL learners
"obstinacious" means: Obstinacious is a dated American regional variant of 'obstinate', meaning stubbornly persistent in refusing to change one's position or comp.... Register: formal or technical English, standard in its specialist domain (law, medicine, science, finance, etc.). Gloss the term with a plain synonym when writing for a general audience. Note the regional or dialect label (dated) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use
Cluster: normal
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(US, regional, dated) obstinate.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "obstinacious" (O)
OB markerobs and gynaeobsceneobseshobstacle raceobstetrician-gynecologistobstropulousnessobstruction of justiceobtemperobtemperateobumbrateobzocky
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Semantically related
- obstropulousness65%
The noun form of "obstropulous" — itself a folk-dialect variant of "obstreperous" (meaning noisy, unruly, and difficult to deal with). Obstropulousness describes the quality of being loud, bolshy, and generally a pain to handle. It's the kind of word that sounds more impressive than it is, which makes it perfect for describing someone who's kicking up a fuss. The "obstropulous" family of words exists in regional British and Australian dialects as a humorous, slightly garbled version of the standard term.
- obstropulousness61%
The quality of being obstropulous.
- boldacious56%
An emphatic American slang term meaning unabashedly bold, brash, or impudent — someone who acts with total disregard for what others think and pushes forward with maximum confidence bordering on nerve. Boldacious blends 'bold' and 'audacious', giving you a word that captures both the brazenness and the sheer scale of someone's unfiltered behavior. It has a Southern and rural American flavor, used admiringly or critically depending on tone.
- honery56%
(US) Difficult and stubborn; ornery.