1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority
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2
as in stubborn
given to resisting control or discipline by others
a heart-to-heart talk with the recalcitrant youth revealed that he had a troubled life at home
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Recent Examples of recalcitrant
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
Ukraine has seen Europe step financially and militarily into the void left by America, and then seen the same recalcitrant White House offer them its best missiles.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
William meanwhile remained recalcitrant.
—Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Congress remains recalcitrant to gun reform even after the gruesome scenes at Parkland, Uvalde, and Sandy Hook.
—John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recalcitrant
Robert C. O’Brien, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2025
Ukraine has seen Europe step financially and militarily into the void left by America, and then seen the same recalcitrant White House offer them its best missiles.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
William meanwhile remained recalcitrant.
—Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Congress remains recalcitrant to gun reform even after the gruesome scenes at Parkland, Uvalde, and Sandy Hook.
—John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recalcitrant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recalcitrant
Adjective
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Theirs was a rebellious poetics of beauty, or a beautiful poetics of rebellion.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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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
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Early connections should feel easier as affectionate Venus forms a supportive sextile with intense Pluto, encouraging us to handle stubborn issues with honest talks and practical teamwork.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
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Spend less time focusing on prep and cleaning and more time focusing on the food with our favorite kitchen tools, which can make poached eggs in minutes, reseal bags of ingredients, open stubborn jars, and more.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Hollywood has always been an easy political punching bag–a convenient scapegoat for a host of intractable ills.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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For example, 1975’s Welfare carefully documents the hoops that working people had to jump through to obtain welfare benefits at New York’s Waverly Welfare Center, representing the government as an intractable and unfeeling force.—
Vikram Murthi,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In northern Israel daily rockets are keeping people on edge but also defiant.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s leaders have remained defiant after days of heavy strikes targeting the country’s leadership, military, ballistic missiles and disputed nuclear program.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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These warm hundreds of tonnes of refractory bricks to temperatures up to 1,500 °C.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
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This is, by far, the most common TES approach in industry, with most companies using legacy technologies like refractory bricks and molten salt to store heat in insulated shipping containers.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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With the game tied at 66 in the closing moments, a wayward pass by Tommies guard Austin Herro from under the basket was intercepted by Fighting Hawks guard Eli King.—
Tom Carothers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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That mulch covering the not-so-lovely fabric traps wayward weed seeds and nurtures them.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Other common side effects include nausea, flushing, headache, and abdominal cramping and uncontrollable shivering.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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Davidson has coprolalia—uncontrollable obscene speech—hence the pun in the title of the film.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recalcitrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recalcitrant. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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