recalcitrant

[ ri-kal-si-truhnt ]

/ rɪˈkæl sɪ trənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recalcitrant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.

hard to deal with, manage, or operate.

noun

a recalcitrant person.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

rec, rec room, rec., rec. sec., recalcification, recalcitrant, recalcitrate, recalculate, recalesce, recalescence, recall

Origin of recalcitrant

1835–45; < Latin recalcitrant- (stem of recalcitrāns, present participle of recalcitrāre to kick back), equivalent to re- re- + calcitr(āre) to strike with the heels, kick (derivative of calx heel) + -ant- -ant

SYNONYMS FOR recalcitrant

1 resistant, rebellious, opposed. See unruly.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recalcitrant ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

re·cal·ci·trance, re·cal·ci·tran·cy, nounnon·re·cal·ci·trance, nounnon·re·cal·ci·tran·cy, nounnon·re·cal·ci·trant, adjective

un·re·cal·ci·trant, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for recalcitrant

The first hint of the double-toilet-style operations issues came as the recalcitrant fifth Olympic ring refused to open.
Sochi’s Impenetrable, Utterly Russian Opening Ceremony|Kelly Williams Brown|February 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The issue of the recalcitrant National Guards is being worked at very high levels,” he said.
States Seek to Turn Back Clock on Military Gay Couples With Marriage Rights|Hanqing Chen|November 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These willfully ignorant, recalcitrant obstructionists are doing the country a tremendous service.
Red States Respond To Obamacare With Angry Tea-Party Denial|Joe McLean|March 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Shame and ostracism are not guaranteed to be effective; like the recalcitrant husband, Israel may indeed dig in.
Liberal Zionists Should Support BDS|Jerry Haber|February 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But in terms of the power equation, Israel is the recalcitrant husband and the Palestinian people, the agunah.
Liberal Zionists Should Support BDS|Jerry Haber|February 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Towards the Great Horde he was both respectful and recalcitrant.
The Story of Moscow|Wirt Gerrare
The headmen of the village communities in Russia freely apply the lash to recalcitrant defaulters.
The Inhabitants of the Philippines|Frederic H. Sawyer
The most recalcitrant subjects with whom Pichou had to deal in all these matters were the team of Ovide Boulianne.
The Ruling Passion|Henry van Dyke
This nascent opinion has begun to operate by shaming unscrupulous and recalcitrant employers into better practices.
An Essay On The American Contribution And The Democratic Idea|Winston Churchill
His very manner engaged the most sulky and the most recalcitrant of witnesses.
The Life of Florence Nightingale vol. 1 of 2|Edward Tyas Cook

British Dictionary definitions for recalcitrant

recalcitrant

/ (rɪˈkælsɪtrənt) /

adjective

not susceptible to control or authority; refractory

noun

a recalcitrant person

Derived Forms

recalcitrance, noun

Word Origin for recalcitrant

C19: via French from Latin recalcitrāre, from re- + calcitrāre to kick, from calx heel

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