Recalcitrant | Definition of recalcitrant by Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of RECALCITRANT

1

: obstinately defiant of authority or restraint

2

a : difficult to manage or operate

b : not responsive to treatment

c : resistant <this subject is recalcitrant both to observation and to experiment — G. G. Simpson>

— recalcitrant noun

See recalcitrant defined for English-language learners

See recalcitrant defined for kids

Examples of RECALCITRANT

But Smith managed to rally and to learn, through trial and error, how to milk what he needed out of an often recalcitrant medical system. —Gina Kolata, New York Times Book Review, 7 Sep. 1997
For anyone who has ever struggled to extract a recalcitrant cork from a bottle … the value of a good corkscrew is a given. —Ettagale Blauer, Wine Spectator, 31 Oct. 1996
George and I were down in a trench hacking at one particularly recalcitrant oak carcass when a local farmer pulled up in his truck. —P. J. O'Rourke, Republican Party Reptile, 1987
You are not the kind of person who beats on recalcitrant vending machines. —Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, 1984
In November 1891, James Naismith, a 32-year-old Canadian-born instructor at the International Y.M.C.A. Training School in Springfield, was asked to invent an indoor game to help tame the members of a recalcitrant gym class. —Scott Ellsworth, New York Times, 29 May 1994
[+]more [-]hide

Origin of RECALCITRANT

Late Latin recalcitrant-, recalcitrans, present participle of recalcitrare to be stubbornly disobedient, from Latin, to kick back, from re- + calcitrare to kick, from calc-, calx heel

First Known Use: 1843

Related to RECALCITRANT

Synonyms: balky, contrary, contumacious, defiant, froward, incompliant, insubordinate, intractable, obstreperous, rebel, rebellious, disobedient, recusant, refractory, restive, ungovernable, unruly, untoward, wayward, willful (or wilful)

Antonyms: amenable, biddable, compliant, conformable, docile, obedient, ruly, submissive, tractable

Synonym Discussion of RECALCITRANT

unruly, ungovernable, intractable, refractory, recalcitrant, willful, headstrong mean not submissive to government or control. unruly implies lack of discipline or incapacity for discipline and often connotes waywardness or turbulence of behavior <unruly children>. ungovernable implies either an escape from control or guidance or a state of being unsubdued and incapable of controlling oneself or being controlled by others <ungovernable rage>. intractable suggests stubborn resistance to guidance or control <intractable opponents of the hazardous-waste dump>. refractory stresses resistance to attempts to manage or to mold <special schools for refractory children>. recalcitrant suggests determined resistance to or defiance of authority <acts of sabotage by a recalcitrant populace>. willful implies an obstinate determination to have one's own way <a willful disregard for the rights of others>. headstrong suggests self-will impatient of restraint, advice, or suggestion <a headstrong young cavalry officer>.

Medical Definition of RECALCITRANT

: not responsive to treatment <severe recalcitrant psoriasis> <recalcitrant warts>

Learn More About RECALCITRANT

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "recalcitrant"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "recalcitrant"

Nglish: Translation of "recalcitrant" for Spanish speakers

Britannica English: Translation of "recalcitrant" for Arabic speakers

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: recalcitratePrevious Word in the Dictionary: recalcitrancyAll Words Near: recalcitrant

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up recalcitrant? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

View Seen & Heard Highlights from Around the Site