adamant

[ad-uh-muhnt, -mant]

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

/ ˈædəmənt /

adjective

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

2. a less common word for adamantine

noun

1. any extremely hard or apparently unbreakable substance

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamant¹

Old English: from Latin adamant-, stem of adamas, from Greek; literal meaning perhaps: unconquerable, from _a- ¹ + daman to tame, conquer

Example Sentences

Current commissioner Adam Silver is just as adamant as Stern when it comes to enforcing salary cap rules, although the current CBA limits punishment.

From Los Angeles Times

Crucially, Rayner is adamant that she sought advice from a lawyer about the stamp duty liable, and has only now learnt from a different lawyer that that advice was wrong.

From BBC

While there are many who believe Sadr to be dead, others are adamant he is still alive.

From BBC

"Her resilience has always been extraordinary and I think now more than ever she'll be adamant Haiti will be her home," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

From BBC

"There's no indication that he crossed that line, and he's always been wholly adamant that he understood that line, and would never have crossed it."

From BBC

Related Words

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