intransigence
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of intransigence
Explanation
If you refuse to compromise with your sister about whose turn it is to do the dishes, your mother might accuse you both of intransigence. Intransigence is a stubborn refusal to change your views. Inside of intransigence you see the Latin transigere which means "to come to an understanding." People who show intransigence refuse to do this. Nations are often accused of intransigence when they refuse to comply with international standards or will.
Vocabulary lists containing intransigence
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Founding Brothers
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Also on Tuesday, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed AlJabir said the SCT had blocked a delegation from Riyadh from landing at Aden airport on Thursday, accusing the group of "intransigence".
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
“Although it is regrettable that the extraordinary measure of forcing the sale of Minaj’s dwelling is required, that result is entirely the product of her intransigence in not making payment,” they stated.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
Her family’s house on Los Robles was her foundation of stability, but lingering damage from smoke, soot and ash — and the intransigence of agencies charged with removing it — makes going home impossible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
Several gay people interviewed expressed hope that despite—or perhaps in response to—government headwinds, institutional intransigence and political polarization, speaking out may be getting easier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
The dream receded and left him there, in his bed, alone—stranded in the merciless intransigence of reality, and it was as bleak a truth to his soul as the nothingness of the Elmuthaleth.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
