intransigent
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- intransigence noun
- intransigency noun
- intransigently adverb
Etymology
Origin of intransigent
1875–80; < Spanish intransigente, equivalent to in- in- 3 + transigente (present participle of transigir to compromise) < Latin trānsigent- (stem of trānsigēns, present participle of trānsigere to come to an agreement); transact
Explanation
Intransigent means inflexible, stubborn, entrenched. Argue all you like with an intransigent three-year-old. He will never back down from the position that he wants the lollipop NOW. Trans has to do with movement — think transportation, or a package in transit, i.e. "on the way." The in- of intransigent means "not," so something or someone who is intransigent is not moving. If one political party wants to raise funds to improve schools but the other is intransigent on the subject of higher taxes, the debate will get nowhere.
Vocabulary lists containing intransigent
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "I"
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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.
Both sides are frustratingly intransigent, but though Ms. Etura appears in only a few scenes, she makes Clara’s balance of anguish and guilt palpable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
Did Bill Belichick, a 73-year-old intransigent, forever controlling-the-narrative football coach with a record six Super Bowl titles, seemingly cede the reins to his girlfriend, 24-year-old former cheerleader Jordon Hudson?
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2025
David Strover, head of Trading Standards, said: "We repeatedly advised this business to amend their labelling, but they were intransigent and failed to act on our advice."
From BBC • Sep. 27, 2024
When taken in the context of global conflicts and hardening borders, the title seems a provocation against intransigent governments — at the very least a prod to consider our shared humanity.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2024
The war years were wet years, and there were many people who blamed the strange intransigent weather on the firing of the great guns in France.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
