stiff-necked

1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude he was too stiff-necked to admit that "underlings" might have useful ideas

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stiff-necked But some Jews stubbornly refused to assimilate and continued the sometimes strange and stiff-necked traditions of our people. TIME, 11 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-necked
Adjective
  • Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald return as love interest Virginia Venit and arrogant rival Shooter McGavin, respectively, and the cast includes rookies like Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce and pro wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Those include genial second-year resident Dr. King (Taylor Dearden), arrogant intern Santos (Isa Briones), and doe-eyed med students Javadi (Shabana Azeez) and Whittaker (Gerran Howell).
    Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Switzerland and Serbia are willing to host this, but the Kremlin is waiting until after the Republican's inauguration before formal plans can take place.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Trump said Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance urged him to keep the controversial topics out of his formal inaugural address.
    Sara Dorn, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The stubborn machine has won, and politicians are, for the most part, just fodder, which means that every politician who has to stand in front of a camera after a tragedy turns into another battle site in an endless culture war.
    Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Coaches will tell you of a character who could be grumpy or stubborn, but also of someone who needed faith shown in him.
    The Athletic UK Staff, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • If the bookmakers are correct, Makhachev will end 2025 with the UFC title in his hands.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
  • His administration's efforts to characterize inflation as 'temporary' or 'transitory' in 2021 may have been technically correct, in the sense that the rate of inflation has come down from its heights following the pandemic.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • On the other hand, the group is adamant that its FPV drones are wholly homegrown.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
  • David Poole is adamant that the sales team is always upfront about the risks as well as upsides of investing.
    K.J. Yossman, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • On Tuesday, the deputy attorney general in the Justice Department issued a memo requiring federal prosecutors to pursue stiffer charges and sentences against a variety of criminal suspects.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
  • The team discovered that the stiff tissue of a cownose ray’s tail was pockmarked with holes.
    Jack Tamisiea, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The engagement is certainly a nice break from the recent drama in Pats land - after New England’s season finale, the team fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, a move that has been heavily criticized by ex-Patriots.
    Ryan Morik, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The Nintendo Switch Lite was a great way to play Switch games on a smaller device, and the Nintendo Switch OLED added a beautiful display and a handful of other nice upgrades.
    Jay Peters, The Verge, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Standing in front of the CIA Memorial Wall—the agency’s most important and solemn location—Trump offered remarks that resembled a campaign event, rambling from one random topic to another, including how big the crowds were at his inauguration.
    Peter Schroeder, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Seated beside the President-elect, who donned a dark suit and royal blue tie, Melania Trump appeared noticeably solemn.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 9 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near stiff-necked

Cite this Entry

“Stiff-necked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-necked. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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