Adamant Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms adamant American [ad-uh-muhnt, -mant] / ˈæd ə mənt, -ˌmænt /

adjective

1. utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals, urgings, etc.

   Synonyms: uncompromising, rigid, inflexible Antonyms: yielding, easygoing, flexible

2. too hard to cut, break, or pierce.

noun

1. any impenetrably or unyieldingly hard substance.

2. a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness, formerly sometimes identified with the diamond.

adamant British / ˈædəmənt /

adjective

1. unshakable in purpose, determination, or opinion; unyielding

2. a less common word for adamantine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. any extremely hard or apparently unbreakable substance

2. a legendary stone said to be impenetrable, often identified with the diamond or loadstone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• adamance noun
• adamancy noun
• adamantly adverb
• unadamant adjective

Etymology

Origin of adamant

First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Old French adamaunt, from Latin adamant- (stem of adamas ) “hard metal (perhaps steel), diamond,” from Greek, equivalent to a- a- 6 + -damant- verbal adjective of damân “to tame, conquer”; replacing Old English athamans (from Medieval Latin ) and Middle English aymont, from Middle French aimant, from unattested Vulgar Latin adimant-, from Latin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was adamant, too, that his side's bid for a place in the Premier League will not be affected by the disappointment.

From BBC

Still adamant something was wrong, she went to her own doctor the next day and was referred to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

From BBC

One of the siblings owes quite a bit of child support, which my parents have been adamant about not paying.

From MarketWatch

He is adamant he will stay in the sport in some capacity, keen to mentor young skiers.

From BBC

"I was so adamant that this would be a career for me, I just needed the opportunity," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• determined
• insistent
• intransigent
• resolute
• rigid
• stubborn
• uncompromising

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.