adjective / noun

intransigent

in-TRAN-zih-junt/ɪnˈtrænzɪdʒənt/

Unwilling to compromise or change a position.

The committee remains intransigent despite repeated offers to adjust the proposal.

At a small meeting table, a young adult Latino man firmly refuses a compromise: he keeps his proposed wooden model arrangement close to himself and raises a palm in refusal while a young adult white woman offers an alternative arrangement between them.

Etymology

inLatinnot

+transigLatincarry through; come to an agreement

+entEnglishacting or being

Latin transigere could mean both “carry through” and “come to an agreement.” With the negative prefix, it underlies a label for uncompromising political factions that broadened to anyone unwilling to compromise.

In context

Roderick_ Owens1:27

obstinate to a fault intransigent and thin-skinned when it comes to accepting the calling out you effortlessly offer to others

History of black subjugation.

More examples

Her intransigent stance on overtime frustrates the staff.
Talks stall because both leaders are intransigent.
The intransigents on both sides refuse to negotiate.

Forms

intransigent · intransigents

intransigence noun — Refusal to compromise or reconsider a position.

Similar words

uncompromising: Can emphasize principled standards rather than unwillingness to negotiate.
obstinate: Emphasizes stubborn persistence despite persuasion, not specifically refusal to compromise.
inflexible: Describes broader resistance to adjustment, including rules and procedures.