Recalcitrant

Definitions: Recalcitrant

Recalcitrant

Adjective

1. Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiant of authority or guidance; "a recalcitrant teenager"; "everything revolves around a refractory individual genius".

2. Marked by stubborn resistance to authority; "the University suspended the most recalcitrant demonstraters".

Date "recalcitrant" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1830. (references)

Etymology: Recalcitrant \Re*cal"ci*trant\, adjective. [Latin expression recalcitrans, present participle of recalcitrare to kick back; prefix re- re- calcitrare to kick, from calx heel. Compare to Inculcate.]. (Websters 1913)

Synonym: Recalcitrant

Synonym: refractory (adj). (additional references)

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Disobedience	Adjective: disobedient; uncomplying, uncompliant; unsubmissive, unruly, ungovernable; breachy, insubordinate, impatient of control, incorrigible; restiff, restive; refractory, contumacious, recusant; (refuse); recalcitrant; resisting; lawless, mutinous, seditions, insurgent, riotous.
Recoil	Adjective: recoiling; Verb: refluent, repercussive, recalcitrant, reactionary; retroactive.
Resistance	Adjective: resisting;Verb: resistive, resistant; refractory; (disobedient); recalcitrant, renitent; up in arms.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Crosswords: Recalcitrant

English words defined with "recalcitrant": refractory. (references)

Specialty definitions using "recalcitrant": field gene bank. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Recalcitrant" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses.

Romanian (recalcitrant, refractory).

Domain	Usage
Movie/TV Titles	Le Prisonnier recalcitrant (1900)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
Books	Bioremediation and Phytoremediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds: Second International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and reca (reference) Designing and Applying Treatment Technologies: Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds (reference) Nonaqueous-Phase Liquids: Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds (reference) Physical and Thermal Technologies: Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds: The Second International Conference on Remediation of chlo (reference) Physical, Chemical, and Thermal Technologies: Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds (reference) (more book examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Worker Rights	Fiji	Employers are required to recognize a union if more than half of the employees in a workplace have joined it. The Government has the power to order recalcitrant employers to recognize unions and has done so. Recognition is governed by membership rather than election. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

"Recalcitrant" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 98.21% of the time. "Recalcitrant" is used about 112 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Adjective (general or positive)	98.21%	110	30,952
Noun (singular)	1.79%	2	245,945
Total	100.00%	112	N/A

Expression using "recalcitrant": recalcitrant inflation. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "recalcitrant"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		kokëfortë (balky, bullheaded, contrary, cussed, dogged, hard bitten, hardheaded, headstrong, hidebound, impracticable, intractable, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, opinionated, pertinacious, self willed, self-opinionated, stickler, stiff necked, strong-willed, stubborn, urgent, wayward, wilful, willful, wrongheaded), i pabindur (contumacious, disobedient, indocile, licentious, naughty, perverse, rebellious, refractory, unamenable, unpersuadable, wayward). (various references)

Arabic		‏متمرد (disobedient, disorderly, insubordinate, insurgent, insurrectionary, mutinous, rebel, rebellious, recusant, refractory, resistant, turbulent), ‏حرون (balky, obstinate, rebellious, restive, stubborn, sullen, unruly), ‏شموس (fractious, intractable, rebellious, refractory, restive, stubborn, unwilling). (various references)

Bulgarian		своеволен (anarchic, anarchical, arbitrary, headstrong, high handed, masterful, opinionated, self willed, self-opinionated, unauthorized, unmanageable, untoward, unwarranted, wayward, willful), непокорен (contumacious, disaffected, disobedient, disorderly, indocile, insubordinate, rambunctious, refractory, repugnant, restive, tumultuous, unbowed, uncontrollable, undutiful, unfilial, unruly, unsubdued, unsubmissive, untoward, wayward), неизпълнителен (remiss). (various references)

Chinese		遻 (to encounter), 婼 . (various references)

Czech		vzpurný (contumacious, defiant, disorderly, insubordinate, rebellious, restive, unruly), palièatý (contrary, mulish, pigheaded, self willed). (various references)

Dutch		sommering om te betalen (process served after two reminders to recalcitrant taxpayer by the Inland Revenue), sommatie om te betalen (process served after two reminders to recalcitrant taxpayer by the Inland Revenue), aanmaning tot betaling (process served after two reminders to recalcitrant taxpayer by the Inland Revenue). (various references)

Farsi		متمرد (Disobedient, Insurgent, Intractable, Lawbreaker, Malcontent, Malignant, Outlaw, Rebel, Rebellious, Recusant, Unruly, Wayward), سرکش (Disobedient, Indomitable, Inelastic, Insubordinate, Irrepressible, Malcontent, Malignant, Naughty, Random, Rebel, Rebellious, Refractory, Restive, Rowdy, Turbulent, Undaunted, Unruly, Unyielding, Wanton), سرسخت (Barnacle, Bullheaded, Diehard, Dogged, Dour, Headstrong, Intransigent, Inveterate, Obstinate, Refractory, Remorseless, Stark, Stubborn, Tenacious). (various references)

Finnish		maksuvaatimus (process served after two reminders to recalcitrant taxpayer by the Inland Revenue), maksumääräys (order for payment, process served after two reminders to recalcitrant taxpayer by the Inland Revenue). (various references)

French		récalcitrant (rebellious, rebelliously). (various references)

German		widerspenstig (contrarily, contumacious, contumaciously, disobedient, fractious, insubordinate, intractable, obstinate, rebellious, refractory, restive, stubborn, unmanageable, unmanageably, unruly, willful), spröde (aloof, austere, brittle, demure, obdurate, prim, reserved, rigid, rough, stiff), aufsässig (defiant, insubordinate, obstreperous, obstreperously, rebellious, rebelliously, restive, truculent). (various references)

Greek		απείθαρχοσ (insubordinate, unmanageable), δύστροποσ (bloody minded, cantankerous, captious, crabbed, cranky, cross, fretful, grouch, illtempered, morose, peevish, pettish, shrewish, splenetic, splenish, sullen, surly, testy, untoward, vixenish, waspish, wayward), δυσήνιοσ (restive). (various references)

Hebrew		ממר�" (contumacious, disobedient, obstinate, rebellious), עקש� י (intractable, mulish, obstinate, tough), סרב� י (balky, disobedient, obstinate). (various references)

Hungarian		akaratos (contrary, cross-grained, hard-mouthed, headstrong, self-willed, stubborn, wilful, willful), makacs (bullet-headed, bull-headed, contrary, contumacious, cross-grained, dogged, dour, froward, hard bitten, hard set, headstrong, hide-bound, inflexible, intractable, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, opinionated, ornery, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, refractory, self willed, self-opinionated, self-willed, stiff, stiff necked, stubborn, stuffed shirt, tough, wrong-headed), ellenszegülő (rebellious, unyielding), önfejű (capricious, chesty, headstrong, obstinate, pertinacious, perverse, self-willed, wilful). (various references)

Indonesian		pembandel, keras kepala (bullheaded, obstinate, opinionated, opinionative, stubborn). (various references)

Italian		ricalcitrante. (various references)

Manx		neuwooiagh (averse, discontented, disinclined, reluctant), kione-daaney (bullet-headed, dogged, dour, mulish, opinionated, pertinaceous, pigheaded, self-opinionated, self-willed, wayward). (various references)

Pig Latin		ecalcitrantray

Portuguese		recalcitrante (reluctant), rebelde (contumacious, fractious, insubordinate, insurgent, insusceptibility, intramolecular, obstreperous, rebel, rebellious, reluctant, restive, unamenable, unruly, unsubmissive), teimoso (ambivalent, balky, die hard, Dogger, hard-mouthed, headstrong, mulish, obstinate, opium, peevish, pertinacity, pigheaded, refractory, self willed, stiff necked, strongwilled, stubborn, tough, tumbler, uncompromising, unmanageable, unwilling, wayward, wilful, willful, wrong-headed), obstinado (ambivalent, balky, contumacious, die hard, dogged, dour, hard-mouthed, headstrong, mulish, non-ductile, obdurate, obstinate, peevish, pertinacious, refractory, self willed, stiff necked, stolid, stubborn, tenacious, unredeemed, unyielding, wilful, willful, wrong-headed), indisciplinado (insubordination, rambunctious, turbulent, undisciplined, ungovernable, unruly, unschooled), desobediente (disobey, naughty, unruly, wayward). (various references)

Romanian		recalcitrant (refractory). (various references)

Russian		непокорный (contumacious, disobedient, indocile, insubordinate, lawless, rambunctious, ungovernable, unruly, unsubmissive). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		neposlušan (contumacious, disobedient, insubordinate, unruly). (various references)

Spanish		recalcitrante, reacio (adamant, balky, fractious, refractory, reluctant, unwilling). (various references)

Swedish		motspänstig (indocile, intractable, rebellious, refractory). (various references)

Thai		หัว�"ื้อ (diehard). (various references)

Turkish		söz dinlemez (disobedient, hard-nosed, unteachable, willful), inatçı (balky, bullet-head, bull-headed, cantankerous, contrary, contumacious, cussed, die hard, difficult, dogged, dour, fractious, hard bitten, hard-headed, hard-mouthed, hard-nosed, headstrong, heady, indocile, inflexible, insistent, intractable, mule, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, obstinate person, opinionated, persistent, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, rebellious, refractory, restive, self willed, self-opinionated, set, spiky, stern, sticker, stickler, sticky, stiff necked, strongheaded, strong-willed, stubborn, tenacious, unbending, uncompromising, unyielding, wilful, willful, wrongheaded), aksi (adverse, awkward, bad tempered, bilious, bloody minded, cantankerous, contra, contra-, contrary, counter, crabbed, crabby, cross, cross-grained, crosspatch, crotchety, doggish, dour, evil, fractious, fretful, Froward, gruff, ill natured, ill tempered, ill-humored, ill-humoured, inverse, negatory, opposite, peevish, perverse, petulant, refractory, reverse, shirty, snappish, snuffy, spleenful, spleenish, stroppy, stubborn, sullen, surly, tart, testy, unfavorable, unfavourable, unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky, untoward, wrongheaded). (various references)

Ukranian		непіддатливий (churlish, hard-mouthed, impracticable, non-yielding, unpliant, unyielding), непокірна людина (insubordinate), непокірний (defiant, insubordinate, lawless, refractory, unruly, unsubmissive, untoward). (various references)

Vietnamese		ngoan cố (bullet-headed, dyed-in-the-wool, froward, opinionated, pertaincious, tenacious, unadvisable), người ngoan cố (bullet-head), người hay chống lại, người hay câi lại, người cứng đầu cứng cổ, hay chống lại, hay câi lại, cứng đầu cứng cổ (hard-mouthed, indocile, intractable, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, self-opinionated, self-opinioned, self-willed, stiff-necked). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "recalcitrant": recalcitrants. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Recalcitrant" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: racalcitrant, recalcatrant, recalcetrant, recalcitran, recalcitrent, recalitrant, recalsatrant. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "recalcitrant" (pronounced rika"lsutrunt)
5	-t r u n t	entrant, registrant.
4	-r u n t	aberrant, abhorrent, adherent, apparent, arrant, celebrant, coherent, Courant, declarant, deterrent, emigrant, errant, flagrant, fragrant, grandparent, hydrant, immigrant, incoherent, indifferent, inherent, migrant, parent, quadrant, seafront, torrent, transparent, tyrant, vagrant, vibrant, warrant.
3	-u n t	abandonment, abatement, abortifacient, absent, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antidepressant, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrogant, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, decent, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, dispersant, displacement, dissident, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, docent, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, evident, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, harassment, hesitant, ignorant, immanent, imminent, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incident, incipient, incitement, inclement, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, independent, indictment, indigent, indignant, indolent, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malevolent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nonviolent, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, proficient, prominent, pronouncement, propellant, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quiescent, quotient, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recent, recipient, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, salient, sealant, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, statement, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, tournament, transcendent, transient, translucent, treatment, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, valiant, variant, vehement, verdant, vigilant, violent, virulent, wonderment.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-c-c-e-i-l-n-r-r-t-t"
	-2 letters: cantatrice.
	-3 letters: antarctic, cercarial, erratical, tarriance.
	-4 letters: acentric, alterant, analcite, arterial, attainer, calcanei, canticle, carcanet, carinate, cercaria, clarinet, craniate, interact, laitance, reactant, reattain, retirant, tactical, tailrace, tantalic, tarletan, tartaric, tractile, trictrac.
	-5 letters: acarine, actinal, anticar, arietta, article, atactic, calcine, calcite, carinae, carinal, carline, cateran, cattail, cattier, central, centric, ceratin, certain, circler, circlet, cirrate, citrate, cittern, clatter, cranial, creatin, critter, ectatic, erratic, intreat, iterant, lactate, lactean, latrine, lattice, narrate, nattier, nictate, nitrate, railcar, ratline, rattail, rattier, rattler, recital, reliant, retinal, retract, retrain, retrial, tacrine, tactile, tantric, teacart, terrain, tertial, tertian, tetanal, tetanic, trailer, trainer, trenail.
	Words containing the letters "a-a-c-c-e-i-l-n-r-r-t-t"
	+1 letter: recalcitrants.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.