1. the quality of being stubborn, difficult, or contrary; perverse or cantankerous behavior
Usage: informal; often used to describe someone's difficult temperament or refusal to cooperate
2. bad luck or misfortune; the quality of being cursed or unlucky
Usage: informal; sometimes used humorously to explain repeated failures or mishaps

Examples

• His sheer cussedness made him refuse to ask for help even when he clearly needed it.
• The old machine broke down again—pure cussedness, I swear.
• She had a reputation for cussedness; no one could tell her what to do.
• It was just cussedness that kept him arguing long after everyone else had given up.
• The project seemed plagued by cussedness; everything that could go wrong did.
• His cussedness meant he would never admit he was wrong, no matter what.
• The car's cussedness was legendary—it never started on cold mornings.