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
-
Theirs was a rebellious poetics of beauty, or a beautiful poetics of rebellion.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Yet his work is perhaps closer to the rebellious energy of Dutch painter Theo van Doesburg, for whom the diagonal line was synonymous with disruption.—
Elinore Weil,
Artforum,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is, of course, exactly the logic that drove the CIA’s support for the Mujahideen Mujahedeen in Afghanistan and the arming of Syrian rebel factions – both of which produced consequences their architects failed to foresee.—
John Calabrese,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2026
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Colombia’s government has struggled to contain drug traffickers and rebel groups that are now fighting over territory abandoned by the nation’s largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, following its 2016 peace deal with the government.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Paxton was defiant when speaking to a few hundred supporters at a Dallas hotel ballroom, a far different scene than Cornyn's small press conference.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Paxton was defiant when speaking to a few hundred supporters at a Dallas hotel ballroom on Tuesday night, a far different scene from Cornyn’s small news conference.—
Steve Peoples,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In business, this same perseverance can be invaluable when navigating competitive and fluctuating markets, stubborn problems or enduring long timelines that don’t pay immediate dividends but for which the rewards are worth the wait.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
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For stubborn black spots, make a paste using baking soda and a small amount of water.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Consciousness may be the most recalcitrant concept of all.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
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Adams had carefully shepherded it through an often-recalcitrant City Council and through the gauntlet of demands coming from both the real estate lobby and pro-housing advocates.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your nonfiction development pipeline grow?—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
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His couplets—stitched together by a rhyme—typically saunter in contrary directions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incompliant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompliant. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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