as in rebellion
refusal to obey
punished her recalcitrance by taking away her driving privileges
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Recent Examples of recalcitrance
A certain recalcitrance has always been part of what makes Rosalía so compelling.
—
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
Moreover, Trump’s recalcitrance regarding support for military action over Taiwan is broadly shared by its allies.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
In an ideal world, Putin’s recalcitrance to end his folly will at least finally convince Trump that there is not and was never going to be a quick and easy solution that he could be seen to personally mediate in his apparent quest to get a Nobel peace prize.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2025
But both are inadequate in the face of human denial and recalcitrance.
—Rita D. Sherma, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for recalcitrance
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
Moreover, Trump’s recalcitrance regarding support for military action over Taiwan is broadly shared by its allies.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
In an ideal world, Putin’s recalcitrance to end his folly will at least finally convince Trump that there is not and was never going to be a quick and easy solution that he could be seen to personally mediate in his apparent quest to get a Nobel peace prize.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2025
But both are inadequate in the face of human denial and recalcitrance.
—Rita D. Sherma, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for recalcitrance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recalcitrance
Noun
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Shop the Marc Jacobs Beauty Collection Now Naturally, Jacobs also infused an undercurrent of rebellion.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
28 May 2026
-
Investor rebellion The announcement of Manifold’s departure from BP came as a surprise to many analysts and investors earlier in the week, with the company currently in the midst of a fundamental strategic reset.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Yet, when all is said and done, Villa have managed to qualify for the Champions League and win the Europa League, in defiance of concerns about the strength and depth of their squad.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
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Her latest collection, Storm, embraces life’s unpredictability with quiet defiance, capturing the beauty of surrender, movement and transformation.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Is Uribe actually good enough to back up this level of disrespect?—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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Her case, within a nexus of other acts of disrespect, provoked the ire of numerous Indigenous Americans, including one of the better-known of the eighteenth century, Pontiac, an Odawa leader who organized resistance against the British.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Their stories live on in Sardinian lore with an almost mythical quality, the brigands admired for their intractability.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
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But Bass and every council member and all their successors need to be reminded that a civic sense of intractability is a dangerous thing.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There is zero tolerance for political disobedience.—
Daniel Drake,
The New York Review of Books,
16 May 2026
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He was also booked on fresh charges of felony vandalism, battery against a former dating partner and willful disobedience of a court order.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recalcitrance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recalcitrance. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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