Dictionary.com

recusant

[ rek-yuh-zuhnt, ri-kyoo-zuhnt ]
/ ˈrɛk yə zənt, rɪˈkyu zənt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: recusant / recusants on Thesaurus.com

adjective
refusing to submit, comply, etc.
obstinate in refusal.
English History. refusing to attend services of the Church of England.
noun
a person who is recusant.
English History. a person, especially a Roman Catholic, who refused to attend the services of the Church of England.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of recusant

1545–55; <Latin recūsant- (stem of recūsāns), present participle of recusāre to demur, object, equivalent to re-re- + -cūsāre, verbal derivative of causacause; see -ant

OTHER WORDS FROM recusant

un·rec·u·sant, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use recusant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for recusant

recusant
/ (ˈrɛkjʊzənt) /

noun
(in 16th to 18th century England) a Roman Catholic who did not attend the services of the Church of England, as was required by law
any person who refuses to submit to authority
adjective
(formerly, of Catholics) refusing to attend services of the Church of England
refusing to submit to authority

Derived forms of recusant

recusance or recusancy, noun

Word Origin for recusant

C16: from Latin recūsāns refusing, from recūsāre from re- + causārī to dispute, from causa a cause
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
FEEDBACK