intransigence
in-TRAN-sih-junss
/ɪnˈtrænsɪdʒəns/
Refusal to change one's views or to agree about something.
Focuses on the personality or attitude of the person causing the deadlock; it is stubbornness on a grand scale.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Spanish 'los intransigentes,' a name given to a 19th-century political party that refused to compromise. It literally means 'not coming across' to the other side.
Word relationships
- obstinacy: Obstinacy is general stubbornness; intransigence is specifically a refusal to negotiate.
- flexibility: Flexibility is the willingness to change or compromise.
Commonly confused with
- impasse: Impasse is the situation; intransigence is the human attitude that causes it.
Word family
- intransigent (adjective): unwilling to change one's views
Collocations
- political intransigence
- sheer intransigence
- dogged intransigence
Example sentences
- "The talks failed because of the intransigence of both leaders." Diplomacy
- "His intransigence on the issue of taxes made a compromise impossible." Political analysis
Memory hook
An 'Intransigent' person is 'In' a 'Trance' and won't 'Gent-ly' move. A person with their arms crossed, shaking their head.
When not to use
Too formal for a child refusing to eat vegetables; use 'stubbornness' instead.
Fun facts
- The root 'transigere' also gives us the word 'transaction'—an agreement that has successfully 'gone across'.
Explore more words
Intransigent, Obstinate, recalcitrant, impasse, Pertinacious, Headstrong
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