What does "obdurate" mean?

Obdurate: Hard; harsh; rugged; rough; intractable. "Obdurate consonants." Swift. Note: Sometimes accented on the second syllable, especially by the older poets. There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart. Cowper. -- Obdurate, Callous, Hardened. Callous denotes a deadening of the sensibilities; as. a callous conscience. Hardened implies a general and settled disregard for the claims of interest, duty, and sympathy; as, hardened in vice. Obdurate implies an active resistance of the heart and will aganst the pleadings of compassion and humanity. -- Ob"du*rate*ly, adv. -- Ob"du*rate*ness, n.