as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
a perpetually incompliant employee who seemed to think that the rules did not apply to him
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Recent Examples of incompliant
Financial regulators often use such orders to compel reforms at undercapitalized or incompliant banks.
—
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2020
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompliant
Adjective
-
Silicon Valley definitely has so much of that rebellious spirit.—
Andre Byik,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
-
On Tracker, Ackles portrays Russell, Colter’s charismatic and rebellious older brother, who has a similar skill set and lack of stable home life.—
Katie Mannion,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December and was named the country's interim leader in January.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Warriors from more than a dozen Native nations in the trans-Appalachian West helped the redcoats engage rebel forces, as did perhaps twenty-five thousand Black fugitives from slavery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Cushla’s world is full of defiant spirits, including her mother, a woman struggling with addiction who spends most of her days bound to her living room and the bottom of a bottle.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The mayor-elect was defiant in his victory speech.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
That tone—of pain, of surprise, of a stubborn refusal to be reduced or diminished—is everywhere in it.—
Questlove,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
If the stain is stubborn, add a few drops of dish soap to the water and vinegar mixture.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
During the Obama and Biden administrations, the US used its bully pulpit to drag more recalcitrant countries like China and the Gulf petrostates to the table and sign them on to promises to cut carbon and shell out cash to help poorer countries.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The president’s biggest tool has been his willingness to impose high tariffs or punitive sanctions on the recalcitrant parties, showing that the United States’ vast economic power can be as useful as its military might in ending sticky conflicts.—
Robert C. O’Brien,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But a sleight of hand is at work; the maybes of one chapter become the assumptions of the next, and at times contrary evidence is entirely ignored.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
-
So, a bit more about that unpopular, contrary sentiment.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incompliant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompliant. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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