What's the difference between obdurate and toughen?
Obdurate
Definition:
(a.) Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked.
(a.) Hard; harsh; rugged; rough; intractable.
(v. t.) To harden.
Example Sentences:
(1) The system is not an obdurate one-man rule, but a balancing of power groups, including the military, government and internal security, all have different interests and policies.
(2) Both the Coalition and Labor are obdurately stuck with barbaric offshore detention policies, as though sensible, humane and politically viable alternatives are beyond them.
(3) For their part, the Israeli left accused Peres of acting as a figleaf for an obdurate Likud administration.
(4) Report on the temporary substitution of pharynx and upper oesophagus with synthetic skin substitute in case of incurable obdurating neck carcinoma.
(5) His team-mates were obdurate opponents in every respect.
(6) The fact that it was Johnson rather than Crow who had been obdurate was highlighted by the fact that TfL had all along planned to retain ticket-selling facilities at several busy stations, but, prompted by Johnson, had publicly suggested that they would all be closed.
(7) For the first time there were obvious signs of tension and, suddenly, this tough, obdurate West Bromwich side showed an attacking intent that simply had not been there earlier in the match.
(8) In the face of obdurate unreason, the president of hyper-reasonableness was forced to surrender.
(9) Underpinning the witty remarks and the textbook flippancy ("call me early, Goering dear, for I'm to be Queen of the May" was apparently Nancy's riposte to news of Diana and Unity's German adventures) though, was an absolute and obdurate self-belief; a self-possessed seriousness only partly disguised by sisterly teasing.
(10) Max from Earlsfield muses: "Admittedly terrible from Fab, a shame after 47 minutes of obdurate defence.
(11) This was a slog, a result ground out against ruggedly obdurate opposition , but Chelsea may end up gaining more satisfaction from prevailing in those awkward circumstances than from some of the more comfortable strolls they have enjoyed over a nine-match winning streak.
(12) Read more It was the third minute of stoppage time, and the cruellest of circumstances for this tough, obdurate Burnley side, when Arsenal’s possession finally paid off and the seemingly endless 20th-anniversary commemorations for Arsène Wenger were given a shot of euphoria that had not seemed like coming.
(13) Ireland were obdurate opponents but that does not fully explain the lack of quality that held back England once Frank Lampard had scored the 29th goal of his international career, 10 minutes after Shane Long's expertly taken header had given Giovanni Trapattoni's side an early lead.
(14) Russia's determination to defend wider spheres of traditional influence in the non-aligned and developing world can be seen in its obdurate refusal to penalise Syria, in the face of almost universal outrage over the crackdown there; and in its de facto defence of Iran's nuclear programme.
(15) It had needed some obdurate defending to keep the score down before Alves exchanged passes with the substitute Neymar and cut in from the right to slip his shot through Hart's legs.
(16) Republicans have been both obdurate and obtuse in Congress, where approval ratings have rarely scraped 20%.
(17) He is assertive (he insists on his photographer and dictates the terms of the interview), obdurate and, at times, wilfully contrary.
(18) We had an obdurate Labor party, a feckless Senate and a very difficult media culture,” Abbott said.
(19) In the years since those facts first became known, the story of the Holocaust has been told and retold, yet it still remains obdurately difficult to tell.
(20) Giles also remained obdurate and continued to refuse to resign even though he had only four supporters as against the conspirators’ nine.
Toughen
Definition:
(v. i. & t.) To grow or make tough, or tougher.
Example Sentences:
(1) Stringer, a Vietnam war veteran who was knighted in 1999, is already inside the corporation, if only for a few months, after he was appointed as one of its non-executive directors to toughen up the BBC's governance following a string of scandals, from the Jimmy Savile abuse to multimillion-pound executive payoffs.
(2) May’s rhetoric against the Labour leader appeared to have toughened significantly, underlining the Conservatives’ determination to exploit what they regard as Corbyn’s weaknesses.
(3) It is possible that future materials will be developed on the lines of these polyelectrolyte cements in which higher molecular weight polymers are used in conjunction with polymers that contain photoinitiators to effect light curing and toughen the matrix.
(4) But the pending toughening of the rules merely angers lawyers acting for the detainees even more – why, they ask, did the Obama administration not act more quickly to effect transfers before the squeeze was imposed.
(5) Cameron is minded to demand a toughened up form of independent regulation, but to give the newspaper industry six months to put its house in order or face statutory controls.
(6) By doing risky things, we are toughening ourselves up for a dangerous world.
(7) The referral came at a time of growing public and political pressure on the police and prosecutors over their failure to bring a single prosecution for FGM in the UK since it was made illegal in 1985, legislation that subsequently toughened in 2003.
(8) He has also advised Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia on how to toughen up their policies.
(9) The first CFC rules were finalised in 1984 but Dodwell says the big changes took place in 2000 when Gordon Brown toughened up the stance towards "overseas financing companies".
(10) We have to toughen up, but City are probably going to win the league this year.” City could have gone ahead in the first few minutes when Tim Krul could not quite hold a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick at the foot of a post.
(11) London housing: politicians must toughen up on planning "viability" Read more “And now the housing grant has effectively gone,” he adds, “viability has become a one-way negotiation.
(12) Obama administration officials had promised to toughen the lax environmental regulations of the George Bush era.
(13) He's got to toughen up – he's playing for Man United.
(14) Davey said the rules were "significant and welcome toughening up of competition in electricity markets".
(15) The attorney general, George Brandis, said the data retention laws would come in as the third tranche of changes, the first tranche being previously proposed toughening of intelligence agency powers and the second tranche being the measures announced on Tuesday.
(16) Congress passed pretty strong new auto emissions standards in 2007, and just last week the Obama administration moved to toughen them further.
(17) Unless they agree to toughen their code of practice, the government will consult on legislation requiring banks to give customers fair notice of any changes to products.
(18) The department must not only understand the danger of either a provider or a commissioner going 'belly up', but also toughen up its contingency plans, drawing upon strong, effective and clear chains of governance and accountability throughout the new NHS model."
(19) Systematic swimming exercises in child preschool establishments increase toughening of children, resistance to unfavourable factors, and also favourably influence anthropometric indices.
(20) At the time, I was like, 'Man I've got to toughen up, get a thicker skin,' whereas in fact, being sensitive and thin-skinned and all the things I still am, lends itself to a career as an actor.