“One particularly recalcitrant [rɪˈkælsətrənt] driver … managed to rack up 29 speeding tickets during the 10-school-day span.” — Dave Werner, The Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, New York), 20 May 2026

recalcitrant
adj recalcitrant [rɪˈkælsətrənt]

Recalcitrant is a formal word typically used to describe someone who stubbornly refuses to obey rules or orders. Recalcitrant can also describe something that is difficult to manage or operate.

When given an order or command, a recalcitrant person (or animal) digs in their heels... traces back to calx, the Latin word for “heel.” From calx, Latin users formed first the verb calcitrare (“to kick”) and then recalcitrare (“to kick back”)...

English