George Eliot
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The Meaning and History of Adamant
A person who is adamant about something has formed an opinion or taken a position that is not going to change because the person is determined to keep that opinion or position. If you're adamant about a decision you've made, no one can convince you that it was a mistake. If you're adamant that something be done (or not be done), you insist that it be (or not be) so.
The adjective dates to the early 1800s but it comes from a much older—and now much less common—noun. An adamant is an imaginary stone of impenetrable hardness. Historically, the word applied to actual stones (and other substances) believed to be impenetrable; in the 17th century the word was used as a synonym of diamond. The noun adamant comes from a Latin word meaning "material of extreme hardness, diamond."
One side note: however adamant the Adams in your life tend to be, the name Adam is not related etymologically to the word adamant. Adam comes from the Hebrew word 'āḏām, meaning "human being."
Synonyms
Adjective
- adamantine
- bullheaded
- dogged
- hard
- hard-nosed
- hardened
- hardheaded
- headstrong
- immovable
- implacable
- inconvincible
- inflexible
- intransigent
- mulish
- obdurate
- obstinate
- opinionated
- ossified
- pat
- pertinacious
- perverse
- pigheaded
- self-opinionated
- self-willed
- stiff-necked
- stubborn
- unbending
- uncompromising
- unrelenting
- unyielding
- willful
- wilful
Examples of adamant in a Sentence
Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999
Arrive to find child physically intact but … adamant that he will not remain another minute in Ski Bunny program. Despite their 'professionalism,' staff members eagerly concur.
—Christopher Buckley, New Yorker, 10 Mar. 1997
In the years following the First World War, the debts of our wartime allies and others came to be considered a serious burden on international commerce and well-being. Calvin Coolidge was adamant on repayment.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 1986
We've tried to talk him into coming with us, but he's adamant about staying here.
remained adamant about getting the actor's autograph even after he had disappeared backstage
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2024
During the early stages of the war, Waltz was engaged with Ukrainian civil society members and was adamant in his criticism of Moscow.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2024
Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2024
But Ballard’s adamant that there is no way to know how things will shake out once the draft begins.
—The Indianapolis Star, 23 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for adamant 
Dictionary Entries Near adamant
Cite this Entry
“Adamant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adamant. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adamant
1 of 2 noun
adamant
2 of 2 adjective
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