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Added 9 October 2026

recalcitrant

/ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/ adjective

Latin root: recalcitrāns Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about recalcitrant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey authority.
Unwilling to cooperate socially.
Difficult to deal with or to operate.

noun

A person who is recalcitrant.

Origin

Borrowed from French récalcitrant, in derived from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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