recalcitrant

adjective

re·​cal·​ci·​trant ri-ˈkal-sə-trənt How to pronounce recalcitrant (audio)
1
: obstinately defiant of authority or restraint
2
a
: difficult to manage or operate
b
: not responsive to treatment
c
: resistant
this subject is recalcitrant both to observation and to experimentG. G. Simpson
recalcitrant noun

Did you know?

Long before any human was dubbed "recalcitrant" in English (that first occurred in the 18th century), there were stubborn mules (and horses) kicking back their heels. The ancient Romans noted as much (Pliny the Elder among them), and they had a word for it: recalcitrare, which literally means "to kick back." (Its root calc-, meaning "heel," is also the root of calcaneus, the large bone of the heel in humans.) Certainly Roman citizens in Pliny's time were sometimes willful and hardheaded—as attested by various Latin words meaning "stubborn"—but it wasn't until later that writers of Late Latin applied recalcitrare and its derivative adjective to humans who were stubborn as mules.

Choose the Right Synonym for recalcitrant

unruly, ungovernable, intractable, refractory, recalcitrant, willful, headstrong mean not submissive to government or control.

unruly implies lack of discipline or incapacity for discipline and often connotes waywardness or turbulence of behavior.

unruly children

ungovernable implies either an escape from control or guidance or a state of being unsubdued and incapable of controlling oneself or being controlled by others.

ungovernable rage

intractable suggests stubborn resistance to guidance or control.

intractable opponents of the hazardous-waste dump

refractory stresses resistance to attempts to manage or to mold.

special schools for refractory children

recalcitrant suggests determined resistance to or defiance of authority.

acts of sabotage by a recalcitrant populace

willful implies an obstinate determination to have one's own way.

a willful disregard for the rights of others

headstrong suggests self-will impatient of restraint, advice, or suggestion.

a headstrong young cavalry officer

Examples of recalcitrant in a Sentence

But Smith managed to rally and to learn, through trial and error, how to milk what he needed out of an often recalcitrant medical system. Gina Kolata, New York Times Book Review, 7 Sept. 1997
For anyone who has ever struggled to extract a recalcitrant cork from a bottle … the value of a good corkscrew is a given. Ettagale Blauer, Wine Spectator, 31 Oct. 1996
In November 1891, James Naismith, a 32-year-old Canadian-born instructor at the International Y.M.C.A. Training School in Springfield, was asked to invent an indoor game to help tame the members of a recalcitrant gym class. Scott Ellsworth, New York Times, 29 May 1994
George and I were down in a trench hacking at one particularly recalcitrant oak carcass when a local farmer pulled up in his truck. P. J. O'Rourke, Republican Party Reptile, 1987
You are not the kind of person who beats on recalcitrant vending machines. Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, 1984
the manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority a heart-to-heart talk with the recalcitrant youth revealed that he had a troubled life at home
Recent Examples on the Web The decision to cast the monumentally charismatic Ro Boddie as this recalcitrant student is perhaps the one weak spot of this production. Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 But to deny that the fundamental strengths of 2023 can persist, and to look past the significant easing of inflation (itself once cast as a structural runaway problem), strikes us as recalcitrant pessimism. Mike Sommers, Fortune Europe, 1 Feb. 2024 This spring the administration hopes to release its own 10-year commitment, now being compiled by the State Department with the blessing of the White House — assuming that President Biden’s $61 billion request for supplemental Ukraine funding is approved by a recalcitrant Congress. Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 The implication of this, however, is that old, tight democracies can become burdened with recalcitrant institutions and increasingly problematic political habits. Ronn Pineo, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2024 But now as Biden tries to convince recalcitrant Republicans in the House to support his call for robust military aid for the wars in Ukraine and Israel, Cardi sounds like she’s basically done with politics and politicians. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2023 Through research pioneered at Yale University, it was discovered that the drug seemed to lift heavy, recalcitrant depression almost immediately. Sonya Collins, Fortune Well, 4 Nov. 2023 His influence on the world stage, which seemed so significant at the beginning of his pontificate, has been buffeted by the prevailing winds of international politics, macroeconomic pressures and recalcitrant human behavior. Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023 For days, outside allies, including party activists and media personalities, have turned up the heat on recalcitrant Republican lawmakers, pressing them to back Jordan. Gabriel T. Rubin, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recalcitrant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin recalcitrant-, recalcitrans, present participle of recalcitrare to be stubbornly disobedient, from Latin, to kick back, from re- + calcitrare to kick, from calc-, calx heel

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recalcitrant was in 1843

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near recalcitrant

Cite this Entry

“Recalcitrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recalcitrant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recalcitrant

adjective
re·​cal·​ci·​trant ri-ˈkal-sə-trənt How to pronounce recalcitrant (audio)
: stubbornly refusing to give in to authority

Medical Definition

recalcitrant

adjective
re·​cal·​ci·​trant ri-ˈkal-sə-trənt How to pronounce recalcitrant (audio)
: not responsive to treatment
severe recalcitrant psoriasis
recalcitrant warts

More from Merriam-Webster on recalcitrant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!