mulishness
/'mju:liʃnis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The trait of being difficult to handle or overcome: A stubborn, unyielding, and obstinate quality in a person's character or behavior. It implies a refusal to change one's mind or course of action despite reason or persuasion.
Usage
- Mulishness is an uncountable noun used to describe a persistent, inflexible attitude. It is a formal or literary term for extreme stubbornness, often with a negative connotation, suggesting a comparison to the perceived stubborn nature of a mule.
Examples
- Noun:
- His mulishness in the negotiations prevented any compromise from being reached.
- She finally gave up trying to convince him, defeated by his sheer mulishness.
- The project's failure was attributed more to the manager's mulishness than to a lack of resources.
Advanced Usage
- "to display/show/exhibit mulishness": to demonstrate stubborn behavior.
- The child displayed remarkable mulishness about eating his vegetables.
- "sheer/pure mulishness": used to emphasize the complete and unadulterated nature of the stubbornness.
- He refused to apologize out of pure mulishness.
Variants and Related Words
- Mulish (adj): Stubborn, obstinate.
- He had a mulish expression on his face.
- Obstinacy (n): A close synonym for mulishness, meaning stubbornness.
- Intransigence (n): Refusal to change one's views or to agree about something.
Synonyms
- Stubbornness: The most common and direct synonym.
- Obduracy: Stubborn refusal to change one's opinion or course of action.
- Pigheadedness (informal): Foolish or irrational stubbornness.
- Inflexibility: Unwillingness to change or compromise.
Antonyms
- Flexibility: Willingness to change or compromise.
- Compliance: The action or fact of complying with a wish or command.
- Tractability: The quality of being easily managed or controlled.
Noun
- the trait of being difficult to handle or overcome