What does pigheaded mean?
Pigheaded describes a person who is stubbornly unwilling to reconsider an opinion, admit a mistake, or accept advice. The expression combines the image of a pig's stubbornness with the idea of a fixed head or mind, making it a vivid but strongly disparaging term. It is used especially when someone continues to support an obviously unhelpful decision despite evidence, criticism, or the consequences of that decision. The word can describe a person, an attitude, a refusal, or a decision, but it normally implies more than simple firmness: it suggests excessive, unreasonable resistance to change. In less formal contexts, "pig-headed" is also common. Because the term is negative, it is usually inappropriate in neutral or complimentary prose.
adjectiveStubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or accept that one's behaviour is unreasonable. The term is generally critical or derogatory.
- Stubborn and unreasonable in refusing to reconsider an opinion, course of action, or criticism.
"She refused to apologize because she had decided, in her usual pigheaded fashion, that she had been right all along."
"His pigheaded insistence on doing the job himself led the project to fail."
"Rather than remain pigheaded, she listened to the advice and changed her approach."
Being called pigheaded means being as stubborn as a pig with its feet firmly planted—though the insult is aimed at inflexibility, not poor table manners.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pigheaded come from?
The compound combines "pig" and "head" in the sense of someone whose thinking is as fixed or stubborn as a pig's. Both elements have Germanic origins: "pig" continues Old English "pīc", while "head" comes from Old English "hēafod" in the sense of the upper part of the body. The resulting compound is used in the figurative sense of an obstinate or unyielding person.
Related word forms
How pigheaded is actually used
Informal and usually derogatory. It may be written as "pigheaded" or "pig-headed"; the hyphenated form is common in British usage.