🐂 A hornless animal 🐄 Without horns 🐴 Stubborn 🫏 A mule

muley

9.3

Refusing to change your mind

adjective
/ˈmjuːli/

: obstinado

Despite everyone's advice, he remained muley and refused to compromise.

Examples

Her muley attitude made it difficult to reach an agreement with the team.
He's as muley as they come!
The child grew muley when asked to clean his room, insisting he would not do it.
Tom is so muley today!
His muley temperament prevented him from considering other options during the discussion.
She had a muley personality, always insisting on doing things her own way.
The team's muley approach to the project caused delays and frustration.

Synonyms

stubborn

vsmuley

217 2.9

Not willing to change your mind even when others try to persuade you

focuses more on outward, strong refusal rather than inner attitude

obstinate

vsmuley

16 7.5

Refusing to change your opinion or behavior even when others try to persuade you

is the same meaning but expressed with a vivid animal comparison

balky

vsmuley

2 8.8

Unwilling to do what is asked or to work properly

describes general fixed resistance in behavior not only refusal to act

How Stubborn

intransigent

8 8.1

muley

9.3

stubborn

217 2.9

obstinate

16 7.5

Surface Forms

muley positive

Morphology

muley = mule (transparent) = mule + y

Clear adjectival formation from 'mule' in its figurative sense 'stubborn animal'; the meaning 'stubborn' is readily inferred by learners.

Etymology

Muley meaning stubborn comes from mule plus the ending -y, which means 'like'. So if someone is muley they are 'like a mule'—hard to move or change their mind.