How do you say “stubborn” in German?

A common German word for “stubborn” is stur. Other options include störrisch and hartnäckig, depending on the context.

Use stur for someone who refuses to change their mind: Sei nicht so stur! - Don’t be so stubborn! Störrisch, starrköpfig, starrsinnig and halsstarrig also describe stubbornness. Starr usually means “rigid” or “fixed,” as in ein starrer Blick - a fixed stare. It can also mean “unyielding,” but stur is a clearer choice when describing a stubborn person.

Words like dickköpfig (literally “thick-headed” - but in German it means stubborn, not stupid), trotzig (defiant, often said of toddlers) and eigensinnig (willful) also fit into this category. A stubborn person is der Sturkopf or der Dickkopf, and a classic comparison is stur wie ein Esel - as stubborn as a mule (literally “a donkey”).