as in rebellion
refusal to obey
punished her recalcitrance by taking away her driving privileges
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Recent Examples of recalcitrance
The United States has become increasingly irritated with the glacial pace of progress towards implementing a ceasefire agreement, more overtly criticizing Russia's recalcitrance to ink a deal despite pursuing a rapprochement with the Kremlin.
—
Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Resistance to state laws Littleton isn’t just seeing recalcitrance on changes to its land-use code from its residents.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
On that front, at least, Putin’s recalcitrance may turn out to be an asset.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
But those prior instances of presidential recalcitrance — just two, spread out over 248 years — were narrow.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recalcitrance
Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Resistance to state laws Littleton isn’t just seeing recalcitrance on changes to its land-use code from its residents.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
On that front, at least, Putin’s recalcitrance may turn out to be an asset.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
But those prior instances of presidential recalcitrance — just two, spread out over 248 years — were narrow.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recalcitrance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recalcitrance
Noun
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The state argued incidents that arose from the ICE facility protests in recent months have been handled by local law enforcement and have not been severe enough to be considered a riot or rebellion.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Her choice challenges the rules of her world and sparks a rebellion that paves the way for a new way of life.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Minnesota passed on Rodgers at the time, almost to signal a vote of defiance or confidence in McCarthy.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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In recent months, some council members have pushed, in open defiance, for outside groups to take another look, on the city’s behalf, at the economics of moving out of the Civic Center complex.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While this change reduces the explicit admission of willfulness, a narrative is still required.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The performance goes from fiery to ineffectual as DiCaprio’s character, Bob, loses his youthful rebelliousness in a haze of pot and resignation.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Footwear News,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Grammys treated the Stones with a similar level of stunning disrespect until awarding them Best Rock Album last year for Hackney Diamonds.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
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No disrespect to the academy, but it sort of pales in comparison to this.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Moja Rowa Colorful disobedience is how Moja Rowa cofounders Yelena Mojarova and Edward Benedikt Sittler characterize their creative spirit and brand ethos.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
23 Sep. 2025
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The ladies move closer to God through acts of disobedience, debauchery, and disgrace; by visiting seedy places and commingling with the disreputable.—
Nicole Flattery,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recalcitrance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recalcitrance. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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