Is there an idiom for the action when someone holds tightly onto his opinion? Like you keep to try convincing that person again and again but he keeps that opinion?
12 Answers
"He/she dug his heels in"
is often used to convey a specific act of stubbornness or defiance.
Or, if it is specific to the fact the person seems unwilling to hear what you are saying:
"I tried to explain to them, but they are just tone deaf to my ideas"
(they are not really deaf; it is just a metaphorical way of saying that they refuse to listen).
Stubborn as a mule and obstinate as a mule may convey the idea:
- Cliché very stubborn. (*Also: as ~.) I tried to convince Jake to go to the doctor, but he's as stubborn as a mule. For four years, Henry pestered his parents to let him learn the trumpet. They tried to talk him into some other, quieter instrument, but he was stubborn as a mule, and now he has a trumpet.
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Thanks, but it's not about the person who is stubborn, rather on the action of stubbornness– MansuroJan 28, 2015 at 9:37
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You mean sort of 'to refuse to listen'?– user66974Jan 28, 2015 at 9:39
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Wouldn't be stubborn or obstinate describe 'the action'?– user66974Jan 28, 2015 at 9:42
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No, stubborn describes the person itself, what I'm asking about is something that describe the act of stubborness– MansuroJan 28, 2015 at 9:43
The phrase whim of iron has been used to describe a stubbornness that lacks a reasonable basis.
It i attributed to Oliver Herford (December 3, 1863 – July 5, 1935), an American humorous poet and illustrator. Wikiquote
A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest was introduced by singer/songwriter Paul Simon in 1969 in the song titled The Boxer. This phrase or some variation might meet your need.
"Stuck in his ways" is what I often use to describe someone inflexible and kind of adamant.
Would the word be: intransigency. As defined by MW:
characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude : UNCOMPROMISING
See also Thesaurus.com.
Not sure if 'dogmatic' would suit your purpose. As a metaphor, people also use 'cockroaches' to ideas that would never go away and keep coming back.
The Middle English version of stubborn carried the sense of “untamable, implacable,” and there’s still a hint of that in how it is used today.
Few suggestions: Unbend (verb) means 'to change from a bent position, to straighten', and also 'to relax from stress or severity'. By contrast, the adj. unbending normally means 'unyielding, inflexible;
- Unbending- obstinate and stupid. (MW)
- Inflexible- in the sense of not making concessions. (MW)
I suggest you use "headstrong" or "strong willed." Ideally, you want to refrain from the use of cliches or out of date metaphors. Also its not necessary to use "intransigency" when a common phrase is available.
I would go for closed-minded (or close-minded)
close-minded (comparative more close-minded, superlative most close-minded) unreceptive to new ideas or information; not open to any agreement.
If someone will not change their mind, no matter what, then you can call them closed-minded.
You can also use resistant or resistance depending on how you mean stubborn.
Lexico defines resistant:
Offering resistance to something or someone.
‘some of the old Churches are resistant to change’