recalcitrant
rih-KAL-sih-truhnt, adjective
Stubbornly resistant to authority, direction, or control.
“The recalcitrant printer ignored every command until it was unplugged.”
Where recalcitrant comes from
From the Latin for kicking back with the heels, like a stubborn mule.
Difficulty: advanced. One of 440 entries written and checked by hand.
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More advanced words
- sycophant A person who flatters the powerful to gain advantage.
- taciturn Habitually quiet and reserved in speech.
- vociferous Expressing opinions loudly and forcefully.
- alacrity Brisk, cheerful readiness or eagerness.
- cacophony A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
- deleterious Causing harm or damage, often in an unexpected way.
- fastidious Extremely attentive to detail and accuracy; hard to please.
- abstruse So difficult to understand as to be obscure.
Nearby: rebarbative reckless All 440 words More word origins
Found in: Negative words to describe a person