different between obstinate vs hostile

English

Alternative forms

• obstinant (proscribed)

Etymology

From Middle English obstinate, obstinat, from Latin obstin?tus, past participle of obstin? (“set one's mind firmly upon, resolve”), from ob (“before”) + *stinare, from stare (“to stand”). Doublet of ostinato.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??b.st?.n?t/, /??b.st?.n?t/
• (US) enPR: äb'st?n?t, IPA^(key): /??b.st?.n?t/, /??b.st?.n?t/
• Hyphenation (US): ob?sti?nate

Adjective

obstinate (comparative more obstinate, superlative most obstinate)

1. Stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course, usually with implied unreasonableness; persistent.
   • 1686, Montaigne, translated by Charles Cotton, "That men are justly punished for being obstinate in the defence of a fort that is not in reason to be defended",

     From this consideration it is that we have derived the custom, in times of war, to punish […] those who are obstinate to defend a place that by the rules of war is not tenable […]

   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 21:

     […] the junior Osborne was quite as obstinate as the senior: when he wanted a thing, quite as firm in his resolution to get it; and quite as violent when angered, as his father in his most stern moments

2. (of inanimate things) Not easily subdued or removed.
   • 1925-29, Mahadev Desai (translator), M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Part IV, Chapter XXIX,

     Now it happened that Kasturbai […] had again begun getting haemorrhage, and the malady seemed to be obstinate.

3. (of a facial feature) Typical of an obstinate person; fixed and unmoving.

Synonyms

• (stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course): bloody-minded, persistent, stubborn, pertinacious, see also Thesaurus:obstinate
• (not easily subdued): persistent, unrelenting, inexorable

Derived terms

• obstinacy
• obstinately
• obstinateness

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• obstinate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• obstinate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• obstinate at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• obestatin, obtainest

Latin

Participle

obstin?te

1. vocative masculine singular of obstin?tus

References

• obstinate in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• obstinate in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• obstinate in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin host?lis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English f?ondl??.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h?sta?l/, /?h?st?l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h?st?l/, /?h?sta?l/
• Homophone: hostel (one pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -?st?l

Adjective

hostile (comparative more hostile, superlative most hostile)

1. Not friendly, appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence, or a desire to thwart and injure

   Synonyms: inimical, unfriendly

   a hostile force

   hostile intentions

   a hostile country

   hostile to a sudden change

2. Aggressive, antagonistic.
3. Unwilling
4. Of a hostile takeover.

   Microsoft may go hostile in its bid for Yahoo as soon as Friday, according to a published report.

Synonyms

• antagonistic
• hateful
• See also Thesaurus:hostile

Antonyms

• friendly

Related terms

• hostility
• hostilely
• host
• See also Thesaurus:combative

Translations

Noun

hostile (plural hostiles)

1. (chiefly in the plural) An enemy.

Translations

Anagrams

• Elohist, eoliths, holiest, sholtie

French

Etymology

From Middle French hostile, hostif (this form with a change of suffix), borrowed from Latin hostilis.

Pronunciation

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /?s.til/

Adjective

hostile (plural hostiles)

1. hostile
2. unfriendly

Synonyms

• ennemi

Related terms

• hostilité
• ost

Further reading

• “hostile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Adjective

host?le

1. nominative neuter singular of host?lis
2. accusative neuter singular of host?lis
3. vocative neuter singular of host?lis

References

• hostile in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)