Refusing to budge or being obstinate can have many colorful translations in German. On the one side “starr” (meaning “rigid”), “stur”, “störrisch”, “starrköpfig”, “starrsinnig” and “halsstarrig” (all of which are distantly related to the English words “stare”, in the sense of an unmoving gaze, and “stern”) and refer to a self-willed, “mulish” or pig-headed being or action. Words like “dickköpfig” (literally “fat-headed”), “trotzig” and “eigensinnig” also fit into this category.

The word “hartnäckig” can be used when someone clings to an opinion (in other words, one would not necessarily use this word to describe a donkey) or refuses to give up. This is also the word one should use to describe stubborn stains.

– “Sie haben sich hartnäckig geweigert.” – “They stubbornly refused.”
– “Sie können selbst hartnäckige Flecken entfernen.” – “You can even remove stubborn stains.”
– “Er macht stur weiter.” – “He’s (stubbornly) carrying on regardless.”
– “Das ist ein störrischer Esel.” – “That’s a stubborn mule.”