recalcitrant

CEFRC2

/ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Unwilling to obey rules or accept control.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Difficult to deal with or to operate.

Examples

  • The teacher struggled to manage the recalcitrant student in class.

  • He's a recalcitrant boy.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Unwilling to cooperate socially.

  2. Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey authority.

  3. Not viable for an extended period; damaged by drying or freezing.

More examples

In context

  • The Hansa had no legal status, independent finances or a common institutional framework, while the major weapon against recalcitrant members (or opponents) was the threat of embargo.

  • His nimble fancy was recalcitrant to mental discipline.

  • There was something in her manner so reminiscent of the school teacher reprimanding a recalcitrant pupil that Mr. Snyder's sense of humor came to his rescue.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank student refused to obey any classroom rules despite repeated warnings.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

Borrowed from French récalcitrant, in derived from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s.