✅ Competition can refer to rivalry for dominance or a shared goal, or it can refer to a contest for a prize or advantage (There was a lot of competition between her and her classmates; She entered an art competition).

✅ Contest can refer to a struggle for victory or an arranged competition (The contest against the dragon took several days; The baking contest was a big deal).

✅ Competition and contest can both refer to an organized event that ends with an overall winner or winners.

✅ However, competition can refer to rivalry and a fight to win in a more general sense, and contest can refer to a struggle, such as in battle, that has an eventual winner.

✅ Inflexible describes being rigid and unyielding. In people, that might mean being stubborn or immovable (She was inflexible regarding her schedule).

✅ Obdurate describes being unmoved by pity, sympathy, or persuasion (She was an obdurate boss who could only be moved by logic).

✅ Inflexible and obdurate both describe being unyielding and stubborn, with a mind that is difficult to change or influence.

✅ Inflexible is a more general term, whereas obdurate is more specific. Obdurate means that you’re inflexible in specific circumstances (He was inflexible and always thought he was right; He was obdurate, but not unreasonable).

✅ Exuberance refers to a state of being extremely enthusiastic (His exuberance about small things made him fun to be around).

✅ Ebullience refers to a state of high spirits and exhilaration (Her ebullience was lovely to see).

✅ Exuberance and ebullience refer to similar kinds of emotion.

✅ Exuberance particularly suggests a lack of reserve along with a lot of enthusiasm (Her exuberance was charming, even when she said something tactless), whereas ebullience suggests excitement and high spirits (After the award ceremony, the room was filled with a sense of ebullience).