1
Resist authority
Refuse to comply with legitimate direction.
Example
The recalcitrant officials ignored repeated court orders.
recalcitrant
/rɪˈkælsɪtrənt/ · rih-KAL-sih-truhntadjective
Stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
Use recalcitrant when the context supports this precise meaning: stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
What recalcitrant Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Resist correction
Persist despite efforts to change behaviour.
Example
A recalcitrant error survived every automated repair.
3
Difficult to manage
Prove stubbornly unresponsive to treatment or control.
Example
The disease was recalcitrant to standard therapy.
Use recalcitrant Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The recalcitrant officials ignored repeated court orders.
A recalcitrant error survived every automated repair.
The disease was recalcitrant to standard therapy.
Precision Matters
Recalcitrant overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
recalcitrant
vs.Means stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
obstinate
Means stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion, course, or behaviour.
recalcitrant
vs.Means stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
obdurate
Means stubbornly refusing to change, often with hardened insensitivity.
recalcitrant
vs.Means stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
compliant
Means willing to obey or conform.
recalcitrant
vs.Means stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
reticent
Means reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
Test recalcitrant in Context
The agency stubbornly resists a clear authority.
1
Even after the court clarified its order, the ___ agency refused to release the records.