Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| stur | /ʃtuːr/ |
| dickköpfig |
Both stur and dickköpfig describe someone who refuses to change their opinion or move. While stur is the general term for being stubborn, it carries a negative connotation of being difficult. If you wish to describe someone who is stubborn in a more positive sense, such as being persistent or tenacious, you should use hartnäckig.
What does it mean word for word?
The word dickköpfig is a compound made of dick (thick) and Kopf (head), literally meaning thick-headed.
Which one should you use?
stur is the more common and general term for stubborn. In contrast, dickköpfig often implies a more blunt, obstinate or thick-headed refusal to listen.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, stur follows standard comparative and superlative patterns: sturer (more stubborn) and am stursten (most stubborn).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃtuːr/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Er ist sehr stur.He is very stubborn.This sentence illustrates how to describe a third-person singular subject using stur.Tatoeba #9981211 by wolfgangth, translation #7775108 by sharris123
- Ich bin sehr stur.I'm very stubborn.This sentence illustrates how to describe oneself using stur.Tatoeba #9981152 by wolfgangth, translation #5859243 by CK
- Tom ist immer stur.Tom is always stubborn.This sentence illustrates how to describe a subject using the adverb 'immer' with stur.Tatoeba #8833562 by wolfgangth, translation #6273439 by CK
- Er ist hartnäckig und lässt nicht locker.He is stubborn and doesn't give up.
- Sie bleibt bei ihrer Entscheidung hartnäckig.She remains stubborn in her decision.
- Mein kleiner Bruder kann manchmal ganz schön stur sein.My little brother can be quite stubborn at times.
- Sie ist eine sture alte Dame, aber ich mag sie trotzdem.She is a stubborn old lady, but I still like her.
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are arguing about which restaurant to visit.
- JuliaWarum bist du heute so stur?Why are you being so stubborn today?
- MaximilianIch will einfach nur Pizza essen.I just want to eat pizza.
- JuliaWir waren gestern schon bei der Pizzeria.We were already at the pizzeria yesterday.
- MaximilianDas ist mir egal, ich bleibe dabei.I don't care, I'm sticking to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stubborn” translations and entries stur, dickköpfig, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dickköpfig, stur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
