adj ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Determined to do as one pleases, and not as others want.

   "He was in that headstrong teenage phase when he felt like he knew everything."

Adjective

1. 1
   habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

adamantinebalkingbalkybigotedbloody-mindedbulldogged

Example

More examples

"Tom doesn't seem to be as headstrong as Mary seems to be."

Etymology

From Middle English heedstrong, equivalent to head + strong.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.