What does bullheaded mean?
To describe someone as bullheaded is to say they are stubborn to a fault — so fixed in their opinions or plans that no argument, evidence, or advice can move them. The adjective pairs the noun 'bull', long a symbol of raw strength and implacable will, with 'headed', producing a vivid image of a person who lowers their head and charges forward regardless of obstacles or warnings. It carries a distinctly negative connotation: bullheaded people are seen not as admirably determined but as blind to reason, often to their own detriment. Typical usage includes phrases like 'a bullheaded refusal to compromise' or 'he was too bullheaded to admit his mistake'. Related terms such as pigheaded and headstrong occupy similar territory, but bullheaded remains one of the most colourful and commonly used ways to characterise unreasonable obstinacy in both British and American English.
adjectiveStubbornly obstinate; refusing to change one's mind or course of action even in the face of reason or evidence.
- (of a person or their behaviour) unreasonably and obstinately determined; refusing to listen to reason or change one's mind
"He was too bullheaded to ask for directions, and they drove in circles for an hour."
"Her bullheaded insistence on doing everything herself exhausted everyone around her."
"The negotiations stalled because both sides were too bullheaded to compromise."
'Bullheaded' fuses two of English's favourite insults for the stubborn: it's what you get when you're as strong-willed as a bull and as hard-skulled about it as a mule.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bullheaded
Bullheaded is a straightforward English compound of 'bull', the male bovine animal, and 'headed'. The word 'bull' itself comes from Old English/Old Norse roots (compare Old Norse 'bolli'), while 'head' traces back to Old English 'hēafod'. The compound arose as part of a wider family of animal-based terms for stubbornness, alongside 'pigheaded' and the older expression 'stubborn as a mule'. Such formations became especially productive in colloquial English from the early modern period onward, though precise first-attestation dates for this particular compound are uncertain.
Related word forms
How bullheaded is actually used
Informal to neutral in register; common in everyday speech and journalism but less frequent in formal writing. The connotation is generally negative, implying irrational or counterproductive stubbornness, though it can occasionally carry a grudging note of admiration for sheer persistence.
Easily confused with bullheaded
Pigheaded means essentially the same thing — stupidly stubborn — but derives from 'pig' rather than 'bull'; the two are near-synonyms rather than different meanings.
Hotheaded describes someone who acts impulsively out of anger or haste, whereas bullheaded describes someone who is simply immovably stubborn.