uncooperative

adjective

Definition of uncooperativenext
as in stubborn
not willing to do what someone wants or asks for; not cooperative uncooperative children an uncooperative witness

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uncooperative The uncooperative witness testimony was a blow to the defense, who also called two of their own expert witnesses to cast doubt on the federal investigation and testify that fireworks were the most likely cause of the fire. — ABC News, 22 June 2026 If a fraudulent provider is uncooperative, unreachable, or no longer operating, the beneficiary may remain reflected in Medicare systems as if an active hospice election still exists. — Wes Kilgore, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 The boy has not been able to confirm any of the details and has been uncooperative so far, police said. — Jessica James, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2026 The best success comes using it in jungle-thick cover, worming a minnow down between uncooperative branches. — John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncooperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncooperative
  1. stubborn
  2. willful
  3. defiant
  4. uncontrollable
  5. recalcitrant
Adjective
  • Volatile job numbers, stubborn inflation and changes to the Fed’s communications style are all stirring up uncertainty in markets and raising the stakes for upcoming economic data releases — including this week’s inflation report.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The softening job market may complicate the calculation for the Federal Reserve, which is also battling stubborn inflation.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of stubborn
Adjective
  • The emotional Moon moves through your 10th House of Career and squares the willful Sun in your 1st House of Identity.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The pro-Trump media’s attitude, though, borders on willful ignorance.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of willful
Adjective
  • Bea will play Julia Hanley, a defiant and magnetic Irish photographer who sees past Tom’s world-changing ambition to the man beneath it, redefining his life through love.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Aegon will have none of it and begins his rousing, defiant speech.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiant
Adjective
  • Security experts, however, say these events are likely to continue happening given the fundamentally uncontrollable nature of advanced AI systems.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As surveillance and interrogation deepen, the line between loyalty and obsession blurs, leading both men into a dangerous and uncontrollable connection.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncontrollable
Adjective
  • Part of the problem is that, outside of their tenants’ pleas, landlords face neither any real pressure nor any legal requirement to install shutters and ceiling fans; even owners who want to do so are thwarted by recalcitrant co-op boards or finicky historic-preservation reviews.
    — Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
  • The patron saint of the 2024 Democratic National Convention was Fannie Lou Hamer—recalcitrant sharecropper turned agitator and, like the Democratic presidential nominee, a black woman.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
Definition of recalcitrant

Browse Nearby Words

uncool
uncooperative
uncoordinated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uncooperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncooperative. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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