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WesternAmerican Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

Tenacious = Stubborn?

Hi,
My dictionary defines the word tenacious as unwilling to yield from a point of view; dogged--Does it mean that tenacious has the same meaning as 'stubborn'?
  

Top answer

7:37:24 Stubborn has a pejorative overtone that tenacious does not.

— Anonymous

  • 7:37:24 Stubborn has a pejorative overtone that tenacious does not.
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10 Answers
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7:37:24

Stubborn has a pejorative overtone that tenacious does not.
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I would say that they are similar but tenacious is more of a positive word than stubborn, which is seen as a character flaw.
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I'm with Nona on this.

Positive: By being tenacious, she overcame her fear of mathematics, and went on to win the Nobel Prize for her work in number theory.
Negative: He was so stubborn that he would not listen to reason. This led to a series of bad financial choices which eventually brought him to ruin.

CJ
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I agree with Nona and Clive. It should probably be pointed out that 'stubborn' can also be used in a positive way.

"He stubbornly refused to give up and quit."

Still, stubborn usually carries at least a slightly negative connotation, implying the person is "headstrong" and more concerned about getting his/her way than listening to reason.
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I agree with Nona and Clive.
In my version of the thread, Clive has not responded to this question!

CJ
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You and your stubborn insistence in sticking to the actual facts. Emotion: smile

(More than once, someone has responded to my post referr
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Well, Clive and CalifJim start with the same letter, so it's a little understandable. But Nona and Grammar Geek aren't even remotely alike! That's bizarre.

I'd be delighted to be mistaken for ANY of the three of you.
And be careful what you wish for! Hee, hee, hee.
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Good point - I'd be delighted to have my postsmistaken for one of yours. I'm not sure, given what I hope to be significant differences in our physiques, if I'd be happy to be mistaken for you in person
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Hi,

I responded in my mind. A virtual response, if you like.Emotion: whisper

Clive
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CalifJim
I agree with Nona and Clive.
In my version of the thread, Clive has not responded to this question!

CJ

Oops, my bad. Apologies, Jim. Once you hit the reply button, you can't view the other posts. Me and my bad memory.
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