Word of the Day

: October 5, 2021

intransigent

adjective in-TRAN-suh-junt

What It Means

Intransigent means "characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude."

// Despite the mediator's best efforts, the opposing sides in the dispute remained intransigent.

See the entry >

intransigent in Context

"So we're this incredibly adaptable creature because we have these very plastic brains. And our experience imprints itself on those brains, and we become habituated to things. … And that's just the way they are. … And this is … what makes us so intransigent, so resistant to change…." — James Suzman, quoted in The New York Times, 29 June 2021

Did You Know?

Intransigent comes from Spanish intransigente, meaning "uncompromising." Its root is transigir ("to compromise"), which is related to Latin transigere ("to come to an agreement"). The French have a similar verb, transiger, which also means "to compromise." Transigent as an opposite of intransigent has yet to become recognized as an acceptable word in the English language.