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GRE vocabulary

recalcitrant

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore R words

stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or guidance

Word origin: From Latin recalcitrare, to kick back.

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In a sentence

Recalcitrant in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing recalcitrant in a sentence.

The recalcitrant student refused to follow even the simplest classroom rules.

The committee made little headway because one recalcitrant member rejected every compromise the others proposed.

Antonyms

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Verbal · Text Completion

The historian argued that the empire's collapse was not blank but the predictable outcome of decades of fiscal mismanagement that contemporaries had simply refused to acknowledge.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “recalcitrant” well

Recalcitrant describes stubborn resistance specifically to authority, control, or guidance, going beyond ordinary obstinacy. It often carries a note of defiance toward someone trying to manage or direct the subject.

Common questions

Questions about “recalcitrant”

Recalcitrant (adjective) means stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or guidance
Here is recalcitrant used in an example sentence: "The recalcitrant student refused to follow even the simplest classroom rules." Another example: "The committee made little headway because one recalcitrant member rejected every compromise the others proposed."
Common synonyms for recalcitrant include defiant, unruly, intractable, obstinate.
Antonyms of recalcitrant include compliant, docile, obedient.
Clusters with defiant, unruly, intractable, and obstinate in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms compliant, docile, and obedient mark the submissive opposite pole.
Yes. Recalcitrant is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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