uncooperative

adjective

un·​co·​op·​er·​at·​ive ˌən-kō-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv 

-ˈä-pə-ˌrā-

: marked by an unwillingness or inability to work with others : not cooperative

The suspect was uncooperative with investigators.

an uncooperative witness

… he wonders whether it would be such a bad thing if their uncooperative nanny quit …

—Caitlin Flanagan

also : providing difficulty

struggled with an uncooperative corkscrew

uncooperative weather

Examples of uncooperative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If a fraudulent provider is uncooperative, unreachable, or no longer operating, the beneficiary may remain reflected in Medicare systems as if an active hospice election still exists. —Wes Kilgore, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Ricardo said the government had failed to show that Lander intended to obstruct the elevators or was uncooperative as members of federal law enforcement gave protesters conflicting instructions. —ABC News, 11 June 2026

The victim was uncooperative with officers. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 7 June 2026

Officers found the boy and the truck in the 900 block of Norton Street, police said, adding that he was intoxicated and uncooperative. —Jason Green, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for uncooperative

• inoperative
• postoperative
• preoperative
• operative
• perioperative