Recalcitrance

//ɹɪˈkæl.sɪˌtɹəns// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The state of being recalcitrant. countable, uncountable

    "But the prime minister’s [Benjamin Netanyahu's] recalcitrance on the subject of a future Palestinian state, long a Saudi condition, is being faulted as one of the reasons Israel is missing out on this opportunity."

  2. 2
    the trait of being unmanageable wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
refractorinessantagonismantipathyaversenessaversionbacklash

Example

More examples

"Some trainee teachers can't cope with the recalcitrance of many pupils."

Etymology

In use since at least 1856 (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, published 1985). From French récalcitrance.

More for "recalcitrance"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.