In a stubborn, determined, or willful manner; with a tendency to act according to one's own will without listening to others.
From 'headstrong' (obstinate, willful) + the adverbial suffix '-ly.' 'Headstrong' itself dates to the 16th century, combining 'head' + 'strong,' originally meaning 'strong in the head' or mentally resistant.
The word 'headstrong' originally wasn't just about stubbornness—it literally meant your head was so strong and heavy that your neck couldn't turn it, a delightfully funny metaphor that made people picture someone too physically rigid-headed to look left or right.
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