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obstiner

persist, dig in

verb ob-stee-NEH Rare

Usage Note

Obstiner is almost always used reflexively as s'obstiner, meaning to stubbornly persist or dig one's heels in: s'obstiner à faire quelque chose (to insist on doing something). The adjective obstiné means stubborn, and the adverb obstinément means stubbornly.

Examples

"Il s'obstine à refuser notre aide."

Natural Translation

He keeps stubbornly refusing our help.

Literal Translation

He persists in refusing our help.

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