siwal
síwal with stress marks
perversion; obstinacy
Usage Note
Siwal is an older native Tagalog word describing willful deviance from what is right or expected — stubbornness rooted in moral misdirection. It appears in formal and literary contexts and carries a strong negative moral connotation, implying both obstinacy and impropriety rather than mere childish stubbornness.
Examples
" Hindi maganda ang siwal niya. "
Natural Translation
His obstinacy is not good.
Literal Translation
Not good the obstinacy his.
" Hindi tama ang kanyang siwal. "
Natural Translation
His/her obstinacy is not right.
Literal Translation
Not right the his/her obstinacy.
" Dahil sa kanyang siwal, ayaw niyang tanggapin ang katotohanan kahit malinaw na siya ang nagkamali. "
Natural Translation
Because of his obstinacy, he refuses to accept the truth even when it is clear that he was the one at fault.
Literal Translation
Because of his obstinacy, refuses he to-accept the truth even-if clear that he the one-erred.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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