incorrigible

American  

[in-kawr-i-juh-buhl, -kor-] / ɪnˈkɔr ɪ dʒə bəl, -ˈkɒr- /

adjective

1. not corrigible; bad beyond correction or reform.

   incorrigible behavior; an incorrigible liar.

2. impervious to constraints or punishment; willful; unruly; uncontrollable.

   an incorrigible child; incorrigible hair.

3. firmly fixed; not easily changed.

   an incorrigible habit.

4. not easily swayed or influenced.

   an incorrigible optimist.

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noun

1. a person who is incorrigible.

incorrigible British  

/ ɪnˈkɒrɪdʒəbəl /

adjective

1. beyond correction, reform, or alteration

2. firmly rooted; ineradicable

3. philosophy (of a belief) having the property that whoever honestly believes it cannot be mistaken Compare defeasible

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noun

1. a person or animal that is incorrigible

Other Word Forms

• incorrigibility noun
• incorrigibleness noun
• incorrigibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of incorrigible

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

Example Sentences

As an incorrigible collector of classical music recordings for 30 years, I confess I have never thought of the National Symphony Orchestra’s appearance on an album cover a reason to buy it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

As it happens, sending astronauts to the moon and Mars ranked at the bottom of the list of priorities — something that probably won’t affect Musk’s incorrigible enthusiasm for the red planet.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2025

There’s that insulin analogy again, she’s nothing if not incorrigible, that Marie.

From Scientific American • Apr. 20, 2023

The problem here is Nézet-Séguin, and the incorrigible fussiness in his conducting.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023

Trying to extinguish the spark of the rest—the merely incorrigible, those holding on to civilization by a thread—itself feels like a monstrosity.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• hardened