intransigent

adjective

in·tran·si·gent in-ˈtran(t)-sə-jənt

-ˈtran-zə

Synonyms of intransigent next

: characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude : uncompromising

intransigent in their opposition

an intransigent attitude

intransigent noun

intransigently adverb

Did you know?

Both intransigent and its younger sibling intransigence come to English from the Spanish adjective intransigente, meaning "uncompromising," and ultimately from the Latin verb transigere, "to come to an agreement." Knowing that many English words with the prefix in- have prefix-less antonyms, one might guess that transigent has its own place in our language. While this word does pop up occasionally in print, it is too uncommon at this point to qualify for entry in our dictionaries. Since intransigent is a Spanish borrowing, English transigent is considered a back-formation–that is, a word formed by subtraction of a real or supposed affix.

Examples of intransigent in a Sentence

He has remained intransigent in his opposition to the proposal. he has remained intransigent, refusing all suggestions for improvement of the process

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Russia understands this—its goal will be to paint Ukraine as intransigent, providing a pretext to stall talks. —

Niall Ferguson, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024 Furthermore, the practice is tightly bound to the seemingly intransigent social marginalization of women. —

Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 Airbnb soon had agreements with more than a hundred cities, and when local politicians proved intransigent—leaders in Austin, for instance, seemed immune to Airbnb’s overtures—the company simply went over their heads. —

Charles Duhigg, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 That would leave a victorious Labor party and prospective new prime minister, Keir Starmer, facing a far more extremist and intransigent political opposition. —

Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for intransigent

Word History

Etymology

Spanish intransigente, from in- + transigente, present participle of transigir to compromise, from Latin transigere to come to an agreement — more at transact

First Known Use

circa 1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of intransigent was circa 1879

See more words from the same year