recalcitrant Hear it!

recalcitrant Definition

re·cal·ci·trant (ri kal′si trənt)

adjective

  1. refusing to obey authority, custom, regulation, etc.; stubbornly defiant
  2. hard to handle or deal with

Etymology: L recalcitrans, prp. of recalcitrare, to kick back (in LL, to disobey) < re-, back + calcitrare, to kick < calx, heel: see calcar

noun

a recalcitrant person

recalcitrant Related Forms
re·cal′·ci·trance noun or re·cal′·ci·trancy re·cal′·ci·trantly adverb
recalcitrant Synonyms

recalcitrant

modif.

resistant, stubborn, unmanageable, refractory; see obstinate, rebellious 3.

recalcitrant Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • employer: Similarly, the recalcitrant employer might seek to argue that the union does not come with clean hands.
  • material: This opens up the possibility that a simple process can be developed for the elimination of these recalcitrant materials from effluents.
  • member: His struggle to accommodate recalcitrant team members resonated with my experiences coaching 25 years of Oxford Boat Race crews.
  • party: Indeed in the past, a referral by the Commission to the ECJ was synonymous with a conviction of the recalcitrant party.
  • state: Some recalcitrant states can claim the dubious honor of having failed to ratify either convention.
  • child: No longer can the dog eat the recalcitrant child 's homework!

Modifying Another Word

  • particularly: One particularly recalcitrant problem is described in Menzies ( 1989 ).