“a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness”
adjective
marked by stubborn resistance to authority
“the University suspended the most recalcitrant demonstrators”
Word Forms
fractiousness
noun
the trait of being prone to disobedience and lack of discipline
refractoriness
noun
the trait of being unmanageable
recalcitrancy
noun
the trait of being unmanageable
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
widerspenstig
hartnäckiger Widerstand gegen Autorität oder Kontrolle
🇫🇷French
récalcitrant
obstinément résistant à l’autorité ou au contrôle
🇪🇸Spanish
recalcitrante
Obstinadamente resistente a la autoridad o al control.
🇮🇹Italian
recalcitrante
ostinatamente resistente all’autorità o al controllo
🇳🇱Dutch
weerspannige
koppig weerstand bieden aan autoriteit of controle
🇵🇹Portuguese
recalcitrante
teimosamente resistente à autoridade ou controle
🇷🇺Russian
непокорный
упорно сопротивляется власти или контролю
India
🇮🇳Hindi
आज्ञा न माननेवाला
अधिकार या नियंत्रण के प्रति हठपूर्वक प्रतिरोधी
🇧🇩Bengali
অস্থির
কর্তৃত্ব বা নিয়ন্ত্রণের প্রতি একগুঁয়ে প্রতিরোধী
🇮🇳Tamil
மறுப்பவர்
அதிகாரம் அல்லது கட்டுப்பாட்டிற்கு பிடிவாதமாக எதிர்ப்பு
🇮🇳Telugu
తిరుగుబాటుదారుడు
అధికారం లేదా నియంత్రణకు మొండిగా నిరోధిస్తుంది
🇮🇳Marathi
अविचारी
अधिकार किंवा नियंत्रणासाठी हट्टीपणे प्रतिरोधक
🇮🇳Gujarati
અવિચારી
સત્તા અથવા નિયંત્રણ માટે હઠીલા પ્રતિરોધક
🇮🇳Kannada
ಮರುಕಪಡುವ
ಅಧಿಕಾರ ಅಥವಾ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮೊಂಡುತನದಿಂದ ನಿರೋಧಕ
🇮🇳Malayalam
പ്രതിലോമകാരി
അധികാരത്തിനോ നിയന്ത്രണത്തിനോ ശാഠ്യത്തോടെ പ്രതിരോധം
🇮🇳Punjabi
ਅੜਿੱਕਾ
ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਜਾਂ ਨਿਯੰਤਰਣ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਜ਼ਿੱਦੀ ਰੋਧਕ
🇵🇰Urdu
متزلزل
اتھارٹی یا کنٹرول کے خلاف ضد سے مزاحم
East & Southeast Asia
🇨🇳Chinese
顽固的
顽固地抵抗权威或控制
🇯🇵Japanese
反抗的な
権威や支配に対して頑固に抵抗する
🇰🇷Korean
고집 불통
권위나 통제에 완고하게 저항함
🇻🇳Vietnamese
người ngoan cố
ngoan cố chống lại quyền lực hoặc sự kiểm soát
🇹🇭Thai
พยศ
ดื้อรั้นต่อต้านอำนาจหรือการควบคุม
🇮🇩Indonesian
bandel
keras kepala menolak otoritas atau kendali
🇵🇭Filipino
masungit
matigas ang ulo na lumalaban sa awtoridad o kontrol
🇲🇾Malay
degil
degil tahan terhadap kuasa atau kawalan
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
متمرد
مقاومة عنيدة للسلطة أو السيطرة
🇮🇷Persian
سرکش
سرسختانه در برابر قدرت یا کنترل مقاوم است
🇹🇷Turkish
inatçı
Otoriteye veya kontrole inatla direnmek
🇮🇱Hebrew
סָרְבָנִי
עמידה בעקשנות בפני סמכות או שליטה
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'recalcitrant'?
The primary meaning of 'recalcitrant' is 'stubbornly resistant to authority or control'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'recalcitrant' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'recalcitrant' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'recalcitrant' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'recalcitrant' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'recalcitrant' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'recalcitrant' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'recalcitrant' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'recalcitrant' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'recalcitrant' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'recalcitrant' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)?
Open the Advanced entry →
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