Refine this word faster
Recalcitrant
//ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt// adj, noun
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey authority.
"His nimble fancy was recalcitrant to mental discipline."
- 2 Unwilling to cooperate socially.
- 3 Difficult to deal with or to operate.
"The more labile organic constituents of complex dissolved and particulate organic matter are commonly hydrolyzed and metabolized more rapidly than more recalcitrant organic compounds that are less accessible enzymatically."
- 4 Not viable for an extended period; damaged by drying or freezing.
Adjective
- 1 marked by stubborn resistance to authority wordnet
- 2 stubbornly resistant to authority or control wordnet
Noun
- 1 A person who is recalcitrant.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French récalcitrant, from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French récalcitrant, from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s.
See also for "recalcitrant"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: recalcitrant