Meanings
comparative more intransigent · superlative most intransigent · alternative intransigeant
- Unwilling to compromise or moderate a position; unreasonable; stubborn.
Near-synonyms: intractable; see also Thesaurus:obstinate
4 more examples
Don't waste your time trying to change his mind: he's completely intransigent.
Since I have been asked to do this in very brief compass, the harsh tone and terse style of my presentation will make my contentions appear more dogmatic and intransigent than I should wish them to be.
1966, H. Feigl, “Is Science Relevant to Theology?”, in Inquiries and Provocations: Selected Writings, published 2012, →ISBNMuch of the new integration will come in the school districts that have been the most intransigent since the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in its landmark 1954 decision.
1970 August 31, John Berbers, “Nixon Aides Voice Integration Hope”, in The New York Times, →ISSNOn the Spanish side, the war increased the anti-Cuban animosity and distrust felt by the most intransigent peninsulares.
1993, Leslie Bethell, Cuba: A Short History, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 27Synonyms: intractable, adamant, ardent, grim, untiring, bent on, bloody-minded, bullheaded · Antonyms: moderate, reasonable, transigent
plural intransigents · alternative intransigeant
- A person who is intransigent.
Synonyms: intransigentist
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveUnwilling to compromise or moderate a position; unreasonable; stubborn.
nounA person who is intransigent.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveimpervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinin-“un-, not”
- Spanishintransigente
- Frenchintransigeant
- Englishintransigent
Borrowed from French intransigeant, from Spanish intransigente, from Latin in- (“un-, not”) + trānsigēns, present participle of trānsigō (“to come to an understanding”), from trāns (“across”) + agō (“to do”).
More words from French, Spanish, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian непримирим, безкомпромисен
- непримирим (neprimirim)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- безкомпромисен (bezkompromisen)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Catalan intransigent
- intransigentunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Chinese Cantonese 唔妥協嘅 /唔妥协嘅, 唔讓步嘅 /唔让步嘅
- 唔妥協嘅 /唔妥协嘅 (m⁴ to⁵ hip³ ge³)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- 唔讓步嘅 /唔让步嘅 (m⁴ joeng⁶ bou⁶ ge³)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Danish uforsonlig, umedgørlig
- uforsonligunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- umedgørligunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- genstridigunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Dutch onverzettelijk
- onverzettelijkunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Finnish myöntymätön, jyrkkä
- myöntymätönunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- jyrkkäunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
French intransigeant, impitoyable
- intransigeantunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- impitoyableunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
German kompromisslos, intransigent
- kompromisslosunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- intransigentunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- unnachgiebigunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- hartleibigunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- unbeugsamunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- unversöhnlichunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- sturunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- unkooperativunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Greek αδιάλλακτος
- αδιάλλακτος (adiállaktos)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Hebrew בלתי מתפשר
- בלתי מתפשר (bilti mitpasher)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Hungarian hajthatatlan, tántoríthatatlan
- hajthatatlanunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- tántoríthatatlanunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- intranzigensunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Icelandic þrjóskur
- þrjóskurunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Māori upoko mārō, whakaioio
- upoko mārōunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- whakaioiounwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Persian معاند
- معاند (mo'âned)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Polish nieprzejednany, nieustępliwy
- nieprzejednanyunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- nieustępliwyunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- nieubłaganyunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- uparciuchintransigent person
- uparciuchaintransigent person
Portuguese intransigente
- intransigenteunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Russian непрекло́нный, непримири́мый
- непрекло́нный (nepreklónnyj)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- непримири́мый (neprimirímyj)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Spanish intransigente, intransigente
- intransigenteunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- intransigenteintransigent person
Swedish omedgörlig
- omedgörligunwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Ukrainian непримире́нний, непримири́мий
- непримире́нний (neprymyrénnyj)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- непримири́мий (neprymyrýmyj)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- безкомпромі́сний (bezkompromísnyj)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
- непохи́тний (nepoxýtnyj)unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, mad
Cite this entry
intransigent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intransigent
“intransigent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intransigent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intransigent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intransigent.
Source: intransigent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.