RECALCITRANCES Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

recalcitrance

noun

ri-ˈkal-sə-trən(t)s

Definition of recalcitrance

as in rebellion

refusal to obey punished her recalcitrance by taking away her driving privileges

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of recalcitrance The singer for the latter band, Liam Gallagher, disavowed the Rock Hall when his band was previously twice nominated, but the nominating committee did not hold his recalcitrance against him this year. — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026 But less than a month after proposing the inquiry, PURA released a decision abruptly canceling it and blaming the cancellation on utility recalcitrance. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Feb. 2026 Holidays are far easier to add than to remove, and the resulting inflexibility, combined with the union’s recalcitrance, has made compliance with state law more difficult. — John Ketcham, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2026 The city faces large fines and legal fees, and might even lose its zoning power to a receiver because of its recalcitrance. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 19 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recalcitrance

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recalcitrance

Noun

As the competition unfolds, Haymitch risks everything to take down the Games from within the arena — setting in motion the rebellion that will change Panem forever.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026
My assumption that the guest speakers’ anti-Communist insurrection might resonate with today’s youth and their antisystem rebellion proved to be mistaken.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

This hint of connection between them is later made concrete when, at the demonstration, the two are complicit in an act of defiance — throwing a cobblestone at a policeman, badly injuring him — and must skip town for the night.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
These behaviors can be signals of distress but may be mistaken for defiance.

— Jermaine F. Williams, Baltimore Sun, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of defiance

Noun

And from that boredom, a different kind of will, the willfulness that accompanies a need to destroy that happiness.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
From grandmother to grandchild, these three sets of two sisters were powerful characters possessed with passion, willfulness, bravery, and devotion to each other.

— Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of willfulness

Noun

That’s great news for Vanguart’s four cofounders, who established the company in 2018 with a wealth of experience, if not some serious horological rebelliousness.

— Rachel Ingram, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2026
The stigma helped imprint a stamp of rebelliousness on the brand which lives on today, says Carpenter, even as Burton has become a fixture on resort slopes across the world and within the annals of Olympian history.

— Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebelliousness

Noun

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
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

Definition of intractability

Noun

But Havel’s vision went beyond private acts of disobedience and noncompliance.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
After federal prosecutors and defense attorneys had presented all their evidence Tuesday, Morrow’s attorneys asked Orso to dismiss the three petty charges accusing her of obstruction, disruption and disobedience.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of disobedience

Browse Nearby Words

rebuys

recalcitrance

recalcitrancy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Recalcitrance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recalcitrance. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of recalcitrance

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

wraith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes