incorrigible

[ in-kawr-i-juh-buh l, -kor- ]

/ ɪnˈkɔr ɪ dʒə bəl, -ˈkɒr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incorrigible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not corrigible; bad beyond correction or reform: incorrigible behavior; an incorrigible liar.

impervious to constraints or punishment; willful; unruly; uncontrollable: an incorrigible child; incorrigible hair.

firmly fixed; not easily changed: an incorrigible habit.

not easily swayed or influenced: an incorrigible optimist.

noun

a person who is incorrigible.

Nearby words

Origin of incorrigible

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word incorrigibilis. See in-³, corrigible

Related formsin·cor·ri·gi·bil·i·ty, in·cor·ri·gi·ble·ness, nounin·cor·ri·gi·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incorrigible

But there were also many times when either Palmer or Weaver could have written the other off as an incorrigible pain in the ass.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Anthony Hopkins as Noah's hammy 969-year-old grandpa, Methuselah, who was apparently an incorrigible berry addict.
‘Noah’ Review: An Ambitious, Flawed Biblical Tale That You Have to See|Andrew Romano|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I gotta tell you, you guys in the press are incorrigible,” the president said.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s Lovefest on ‘60 Minutes’|Lauren Ashburn|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Despite his nebbishy demeanor, the Senate majority leader is an incorrigible junkyard dog.
Why Harry Reid’s Mormon Slur May Be Good for the Church|Michelle Cottle|September 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

No one wins when the political field is populated exclusively by the incorrigible right and the bemused left.
Resolved: This is Not the Road to a Two-State Solution|Elisheva Goldberg|June 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
No sneers, if you please, gentlemen bachelors of the incorrigible class; no 'pshaws!'
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 4, October 1843|Various
She regarded him with a glance which gave him up as incorrigible, and half turned away her head.
Love in a Cloud|Arlo Bates
But our incorrigible habit of confusing the two things together is not without justification, or at least excuse.
Supply and Demand|Hubert D. Henderson
I have now and then made efforts to reclaim the old Party, but have long considered her incorrigible.
Julia Ward Howe|Laura E. Richards
Pages of consummate realism are interwoven with the most fantastical incidents worthy only of the most incorrigible romantics.
Essays on Russian Novelists|William Lyon Phelps

British Dictionary definitions for incorrigible

incorrigible

/ (ɪnˈkɒrɪdʒəbəl) /

adjective

beyond correction, reform, or alteration

firmly rooted; ineradicable

philosophy (of a belief) having the property that whoever honestly believes it cannot be mistakenCompare defeasible

noun

a person or animal that is incorrigible

Derived Formsincorrigibility or incorrigibleness, nounincorrigibly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incorrigible

incorrigible

adj.

mid-14c., from Old French incorrigible (mid-14c.), or directly from Latin incorrigibilis "not to be corrected," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + corrigibilis, from corrigere "to correct" (see correct). Related: Incorrigibly. As a noun, from 1746.

incorrigible

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of incorrigible

Examples from the Web for incorrigible

incorrigible

adjective

noun

incorrigible