What does intransigent mean?
Intransigent means stubbornly unwilling to change one's position, yield to pressure, or accept a compromise. The word is usually formal and often carries a negative or disapproving tone because it suggests that discussion or negotiation has become impossible. It can describe an individual, such as a defiant negotiator, or a group, government, institution, or stated position. In everyday use, “uncompromising” or “hardline” may sound more neutral, while “stubborn” is a less formal alternative. The term is especially common in political, legal, industrial, and international contexts, where parties may be characterized as intransigent when they refuse to move from their demands. As a noun, an intransigent is a person who takes such an unyielding stance. The word is related etymologically to transact and transaction, although its modern meaning is quite different from their sense of carrying out or completing an agreement.
Unwilling to change one's position, compromise, or yield to pressure.
"The delegation adopted an intransigent position on the disputed issue."
Formal and commonly disapproving; often used for people, groups, or policies that refuse to make concessions.
A person who refuses to compromise or yield to persuasion or pressure.
"The negotiator was accused of being an intransigent who would not consider a settlement."
Less common than the adjective and usually somewhat negative in tone.
Intransigence means refusing to bend, and the word carries the image of a position that refuses to yield.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does intransigent come from?
The word comes through Latin from intransigens or intransigentem, formed from the prefix in- meaning “not” and transigere, a Latin verb meaning to pass through, settle, or agree. The sense developed from “not agreeing or yielding” to the modern meaning of being unyielding and unwilling to compromise. Transact and transaction are later English relatives that preserve the idea of carrying out or completing an agreement.
Related word forms
How intransigent is actually used
Formal and generally somewhat disapproving. It is commonly used for people, organizations, governments, or positions that refuse to compromise; it is stronger and more evaluative than simply saying someone is “firm.”