as in rebelliousness
failure or refusal to do what someone has told or asked you to do; lack of cooperation
They adopted a strategy of noncooperation until they were treated fairly.
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Recent Examples of noncooperation
In a nutshell: Nonviolent resistance is based on noncooperation with autocratic actions.
—
Shelley Inglis, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2025
While declarations have been made in the past regarding our city having a sanctuary status, there have been no clear directives toward local law enforcement regarding noncooperation with federal agencies such as ICE.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
These movements used many different tools at their disposal — lawsuits, mass rallies, strikes, work slowdowns, boycotts and other forms of noncooperation and resistance.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2025
Attempted strikes, boycotts, and other forms of mass noncooperation were weak, localized, and lacked support.
—Erica Chenoweth, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2014
See All Example Sentences for noncooperation
Shelley Inglis, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2025
While declarations have been made in the past regarding our city having a sanctuary status, there have been no clear directives toward local law enforcement regarding noncooperation with federal agencies such as ICE.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
These movements used many different tools at their disposal — lawsuits, mass rallies, strikes, work slowdowns, boycotts and other forms of noncooperation and resistance.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2025
Attempted strikes, boycotts, and other forms of mass noncooperation were weak, localized, and lacked support.
—Erica Chenoweth, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2014
See All Example Sentences for noncooperation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noncooperation
Noun
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.—
Maressa Brown,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the rebellion has also spurred a race to the bottom.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Confederate sympathizers carved up the old design, claiming the red-and-white Crossland pattern to signal rebellion loyalty.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
José Antonio Kast’s decisive victory, driven by anxiety over crime and migration, arrived without overt institutional defiance.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
That would include open defiance of a court order.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
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The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
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No disrespect to Polin or Benophie, but the ton just isn’t the same without Bridgerton’s Kanthony—that would be Kate Sharma Bridgerton and Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, thank you very much.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
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Not the kind of disrespect that doesn’t see you as human, mind.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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What was your personal experience with his stubbornness?—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The shadow is stubbornness or emotional defensiveness.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As litigation commenced and DHS officials were called to testify, judges became frustrated at the rampant false testimony and disobedience of the government.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
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The passenger was arrested, and now faces charges of crime of resistance and disobedience.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Noncooperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noncooperation. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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