Word of the Day

: June 9, 2012

incorrigible

adjective in-KOR-uh-juh-bul

What It Means

1 : incapable of being corrected, amended, or reformed

2 : not manageable : unruly

3 : unalterable, inveterate

incorrigible in Context

Neil was such an incorrigible slob that his parents eventually gave up nagging him about cleaning his room and simply told him to keep the door closed.

"We first meet Moe, Larry and Curly as babies dropped off on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns…. The kids immediately prove themselves to be violent, incorrigible and stupid, traits they will not outgrow as they get older." - From a movie review by Bill Goodykoontz in The Arizona Republic, April 13, 2012

Did You Know?

"Incorrigible" has been part of English since the 14th century. Back then, it was used to describe people who were morally depraved, but now it is most often applied to people who merely have bad habits. Is there a "corrigible?" Yes, indeed, we've used "corrigible" in the sense of "capable of being set right; reparable" (as in "a corrigible defect" and "a corrigible sinner") since the 15th century. Both words are from Latin "corrigere," which means "to correct" and which is also the source of our word "correct."