noncooperation
Americannoun
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failure or refusal to cooperate.
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a method or practice, as that established in India by Gandhi, of showing opposition to acts or policies of the government by refusing to participate in civic and political life or to obey governmental regulations.
noun
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failure or refusal to cooperate
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refusal to pay taxes, obey government decrees, etc, as a protest
Other Word Forms
- noncooperationist noun
- noncooperative adjective
- noncooperator noun
Etymology
Origin of noncooperation
First recorded in 1785–95; non- + cooperation
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.
This weekend America saw how deadly the consequences of noncooperation can be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026
As recently as the noncooperation movement in 1920-22, women played a far more circumscribed role.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025
And while some challenges to power include individual defiance, Sharp argues that, “If the rulers’ power is to be controlled by withdrawing help and obedience, the noncooperation and disobedience must be widespread.”
From Salon • Sep. 30, 2025
Black leather unmistakably communicates noncooperation with a formal or clean-cut dress code; it telegraphs insouciance, skepticism, jadedness.
From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2023
The joint planning council agreed upon an open-ended program of noncooperation and nonviolence.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
