intransigent

adjective

in·​tran·​si·​gent in-ˈtran(t)-sə-jənt 

-ˈtran-zə

: characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude : uncompromising

intransigent in their opposition

an intransigent attitude

intransigent noun

intransigently adverb

Did you know?

Both intransigent and its younger sibling intransigence come to English from the Spanish adjective intransigente, meaning "uncompromising," and ultimately from the Latin verb transigere, "to come to an agreement." Knowing that many English words with the prefix in- have prefix-less antonyms, one might guess that transigent has its own place in our language. While this word does pop up occasionally in print, it is too uncommon at this point to qualify for entry in our dictionaries. Since intransigent is a Spanish borrowing, English transigent is considered a back-formation–that is, a word formed by subtraction of a real or supposed affix.

Synonyms

• stubborn
• adamant

Examples of intransigent in a Sentence

He has remained intransigent in his opposition to the proposal.

he has remained intransigent, refusing all suggestions for improvement of the process

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump campaigned on a vow to end the Russia-Ukraine war but has had little success so far, largely because Putin has been intransigent in terms of offering concessions. —Ian Swanson, The Hill, 19 May 2025

And ever since, Cambodia has not been quite as foolishly intransigent on discussions of the South China Sea. —Bilahari Kausikan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021

The alternative is going toe-to-toe, alone, against the global hegemon and its intransigent President. —David Moscrop, Time, 8 May 2025

People don’t realize how much the Biden administration’s intransigent agencies may have played a role in investors avoiding stocks like Wynn. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish intransigente, from in- + transigente, present participle of transigir to compromise, from Latin transigere to come to an agreement — more at transact

First Known Use

circa 1879, in the meaning defined above

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