- Today's Word
Obdurate
OB-duh-rut
Definition
- (adjective) Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action; unyielding.
Example
Despite overwhelming evidence, he remained obdurate in his refusal to admit wrongdoing.
Fun Fact
“Obdurate” comes from the Latin obdurare, meaning “to harden.” The word was originally used in religious texts to describe those who resisted divine influence. Today, it describes anyone who refuses to budge—whether a defiant toddler, a determined activist, or an unyielding negotiator.
(verb) To suggest or assume something as a basis for reasoning or argument without prior proof.
The scientist postulated that the mysterious signals were coming from a previously undiscovered layer of the atmosphere, a theory that took years to confirm.
Postulate derives from the Latin postulare, meaning “to demand” or “to claim,” rooted in poscere, meaning “to ask urgently.” In medieval logic and mathematics, a postulate was a foundational assumption that didn’t require proof — something demanded to be accepted as a starting point. Euclid’s famous geometric postulates, written around 300 BCE, are among the most influential examples in intellectual history.