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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Call it nostalgia or a rebellion against the clean functionality of minimalism, but romantic, decorative textiles are having a moment.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
13 Aug. 2025
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In a world that equates stress with productivity, peace becomes a form of rebellion—and power.—
Jonathan Low,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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North Korea, now a front-line participant in the war in Ukraine, continues to launch missiles in defiance of sanctions.—
Anthony Trotter,
ABC News,
6 Aug. 2025
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In a sign of the party's divide, Democrats have continued to push for a national redistricting panel that would remove partisanship from the process, even as some call for retaliation against Republicans in defiance of state limitations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Elizabeth’s reaction to the very public display of disrespect by her son is Emmy-worthy all on its own for Rashad.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
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While attempting to address the MTA’s anti-Israel agenda, Jewish guest speakers at board meetings faced blatant disrespect.—
Joanna Honig,
Boston Herald,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Thanks to that act of disobedience, the document is now preserved at Fort Ligonier.—
Aurora Martínez,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 July 2025
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And why is the punishment for disobedience akin to literal torture?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recalcitrance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recalcitrance. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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