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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This news might come to many fans' surprise—but the sassy, whip-smart, and rebellious feminist Eloise Bridgerton does not stay single.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
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With the sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto all in Aquarius, the collective mood is future-focused, innovative, and a little rebellious.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Experts warn that the stubborn metric has long-term implications for learning.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Wait 10 minutes before washing for milder stains or up to a week for more severe or stubborn stains.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The image, known as the rebel loon, blends the outline of a loon with the familiar rebellion emblem.—
Nick Lunemann,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Russia, which in recent years has been focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn’t try to counter the rebel offensive.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The board also charged Page with unprofessional and unethical conduct by committing disruptive behavior through a pattern of contentious, threatening, or intractable behavior that could interfere with patient care or the effective functioning of health care staff.—
Clark Kauffman,
Des Moines Register,
28 Jan. 2026
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Both parties have once again dug into seemingly intractable positions.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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When summoned before a congressional committee in December, Noem struck a defiant tone.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
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Between the river’s source, entrusted to an order of Orthodox nuns, and its southern delta, where caviar bound for the Kremlin is harvested, the author journeys through a defiant country transformed by war, sanctions, and reinvigorated patriotism.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 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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Let’s next mull over what to do about the circumstance of an Assistant that drifts and becomes wayward.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The island’s more disheveled beach, Pasture Bay (a hawksbill turtle nesting haven from June until November), is fringed by wayward bushes and wildflowers—a scene, one imagines, not far removed from the one Christopher Columbus sailed into in 1463.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some researchers question whether addiction is the appropriate term to describe heavy use of social media, arguing that a person must be experiencing identifiable symptoms, like strong, sometimes uncontrollable urges and withdrawal, to qualify as addiction.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2026
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An additional hurdle with AZMBs is the uncontrollable side reactions that occur when battery temperature exceeds 140°F (60 °C).—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recalcitrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recalcitrant. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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