as in severity
the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism)
the principal's inflexibility in matters of discipline is the stuff of school legend
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Recent Examples of inflexibility
The frustration is in the inflexibility.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
The Red Sox could also try to move on from Masataka Yoshida, though his contract, injury history and positional inflexibility will hamper his trade value.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Roster inflexibility could further complicate matters.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
And many folks thought that that was a type of dogmatism and inflexibility that was not productive.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
But there is also such a thing as being too good, where your own purity takes precedence over all else, leading to inflexibility and inaction.
—Shadi Hamid, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
An impressive defensive coach, he has occasionally been criticized for a certain regular season inflexibility in his rotations and overplaying his best contributors.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
However, the reality is that the inherent inflexibility of immutability is essential to ensuring business resiliency and provides the invaluable peace of mind that comes with knowing data will always be there, ready to be recovered, no matter what.
—David Bennett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Structural inflexibility is forcing unnecessary trade-offs.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
The Red Sox could also try to move on from Masataka Yoshida, though his contract, injury history and positional inflexibility will hamper his trade value.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Roster inflexibility could further complicate matters.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
And many folks thought that that was a type of dogmatism and inflexibility that was not productive.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
But there is also such a thing as being too good, where your own purity takes precedence over all else, leading to inflexibility and inaction.
—Shadi Hamid, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
An impressive defensive coach, he has occasionally been criticized for a certain regular season inflexibility in his rotations and overplaying his best contributors.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
However, the reality is that the inherent inflexibility of immutability is essential to ensuring business resiliency and provides the invaluable peace of mind that comes with knowing data will always be there, ready to be recovered, no matter what.
—David Bennett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Structural inflexibility is forcing unnecessary trade-offs.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflexibility
Noun
-
Orkin's bed bug treatment methods may include targeted applications, heat treatments or a combination of strategies, depending on the severity.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The department said the driver's seat was the only part of the car that remained intact, but despite the severity of the crash, the driver suffered only minor injuries.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And there’s this rigidity forming, too, which is worth fighting against.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Those dates were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later canceled following Dion's 2022 diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that includes rigidity and stiffness of certain areas of the body, causing unsteadiness, slower movements and difficulties walking.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflexibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflexibility. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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