Recalcitrant: meaning, example and synonyms
Recalcitrantadj. Stubbornly refusing to obey authority or cooperate.
Example
Even after the court ordered the factory to install filters, its recalcitrant owners delayed for three years, filing appeal after appeal.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- defiant, obstinate, intractable, unruly
- Antonyms
- compliant, obedient, cooperative, docile
- Memory tip
- Latin calx = heel: one who kicks back with the heels, like a mule.
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Check yourself: Recalcitrant in context
The teacher's patience was tested by one ______ student who ignored every instruction and refused to put away his phone.
Answer: recalcitrant. Ignoring every instruction is stubborn defiance. veritable (truly so), retroactive (applying to the past) and discriminating (discerning) don't fit.
Negotiators struggled with the most ______ member of the coalition, which rejected every compromise and threatened to block the treaty altogether.
Answer: recalcitrant. Rejecting every compromise is stubborn refusal to cooperate. retroactive (applying to the past), desultory (aimless) and veritable (truly so) don't fit.