headstrong
[adjective]
Synonyms: obstinate, foolhardy, heedless, impulsive, perverse, pig-headed, self-willed, stubborn, unruly, wilful

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Contrasted words: subdued, tame, amenable, biddable, docile, meek, obedient, tractable

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English Thesaurus: determined, stubborn, single-minded, tough, firm, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

head‧strong /ˈhedstrɒŋ $ -strɒːŋ/ adjective
very determined to do what you want, even when other people advise you not to do it

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

determined if you are determined to do something, you have decided that you are definitely going to do it, and you will not let anything stop you. Determined is also used about someone’s character, when they usually behave in this way:
I was determined to be a doctor.
She’s a very determined woman.
stubborn determined not to change what you are doing, especially when other people think you are behaving in an unreasonable way. Stubborn is often used when you disapprove of someone. It is also sometimes used when you admire them:
I wish you would stop being so stubborn!
Churchill’s stubborn refusal to surrender
single-minded someone who is single-minded works very hard in order to achieve one particular thing, and thinks that everything else is much less important:
During a war, a leader must be single-minded and, if necessary, ruthless.
her single-minded pursuit of power
tough /tʌf/ determined to succeed, even if a situation is difficult or frightening:
In competitive sports, it is as important to be mentally tough as it is to be physically fit.
Gorelick is known as a tough manager.
firm showing by your behaviour that you are determined not to change your mind, especially when you are telling someone what to do:
What this country needs is firm leadership.
You have to be firm with young children.
feisty determined and full of energy, and not afraid to say what you think and argue with people - used especially when you admire this person. Feisty is often used about women:
In the film she plays a feisty young woman who is smarter than all the men put together.
a feisty kid with a mind of his own
the city’s feisty mayor
headstrong determined to do what you want, without listening to other people’s advice or thinking about the results of your actions - used especially about young people:
Her sister was headstrong and impulsive, and made a point of going out whenever and wherever she liked.
resolute formal doing something in a very determined way because you have very strong beliefs, aims etc:
the soldiers’ resolute defence of the town
tenacious formal determined and refusing to give up:
McTaggart was seen by many in the environment movement as a tenacious hero.
his tenacious grip on power
dogged [only before noun] dogged behaviour shows that you are very determined and that you will not give up - used especially in the following phrases: dogged determination/persistence/resistance/refusal:
The team played with dogged determination.
his dogged refusal to admit defeat
the dogged persistence of the defenders
persistent continuing to do something, although this is difficult, or other people warn you not to do it:
If you want to get a job, you have to be persistent. Don’t give up.
strong-willed always very determined to do what you want to do, even if other people think it is not a good idea to do it:
She has always been a strong-willed child.
ruthless /ˈruːθləs/ someone who is ruthless is so determined to get what they want, that they do not care if they harm other people:
a ruthless dictator
He was ruthless in his ambition.
mean business to be determined to do something and show other people that you are determined to do it, even if it involves harming someone:
The one-day strike proved that the union meant business.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

stubborn refusing to change your mind, even when people think you are wrong or are being unreasonable:
Dave can be really stubborn once he’s made up his mind.
a stubborn old man
obstinate very stubborn, in way that is annoying and unreasonable:
I have never met anyone so obstinate.
his obstinate refusal to compromise
pig-headed informal refusing to change your mind, even when people think that what you want to do is stupid:
I told her she was making a big mistake but she was too pig-headed to listen.
I wish you’d stop being so pig-headed!
headstrong very determined to do what you want, often without thinking about the results of your actions – used especially about young people:
As a girl, she had been lively and headstrong.
the headstrong impulsiveness of youth
wilful British English (also willful American English) doing what you want, even after you have been told to stop, or when you know that it is wrong – used especially about children:
He was a spoiled and wilful child, who always got his own way.
She was passionate and wilful – exactly the sort of creature a man ought to avoid.
ornery American English behaving in an unreasonable and often angry way, especially by doing the opposite of what people want you to do:
an ornery kid
Teenagers can be ornery and rude.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲