recalcitrant

Advancedzipf 2.55

Pronunciation

/rɪˈkælsɪtrənt/(rih-KAL-sih-trunt)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

顽抗的；不服从的；难以驾驭的

Definition

Stubbornly resistant to authority or control; uncooperative.

Word family

  • recalcitrance/rɪˈkælsɪtrəns/(n)顽抗

Collocations

  • recalcitrant student
  • recalcitrant child
  • recalcitrant employee
  • recalcitrant nation

Examples

  1. 1.The recalcitrant teenager refused to follow any household rules. (defiant)
  2. 2.Several recalcitrant member states blocked the trade agreement. (uncooperative)

Synonyms

  • defiant/dɪˈfaɪənt/— openly resisting
  • obstinate/ˈɒbstɪnət/— stubbornly refusing
  • intractable/ɪnˈtræktəbl/— hard to manage

Etymology

from Latin "recalcitrare" = to kick back — re- (back) + calcitrare (to kick) — like a horse kicking against being controlled