Intransigent

WORD OF THE DAY

intransigent / adjective / in-TRAN-suh-junt

Definition
1: characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude
2: uncompromising

Examples
"So we're this incredibly adaptable creature because we have these very plastic brains. And our experience imprints itself on those brains, and we become habituated to things. … And that's just the way they are. … And this is … what makes us so intransigent, so resistant to change…."
— James Suzman, quoted in The New York Times, 29 June 2021

Israel’s previous government, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had denigrated Abbas as an intransigent inciter of violence and never met with him.
— BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021

Did You Know?
English speakers borrowed "intransigent" in the 19th century from Spanish intransigente ("uncompromising"), itself a combination of the familiar prefix in- ("not") and "transigente" ("willing to compromise").
"Transigente" comes from the Spanish verb transigir ("to compromise"), which in turn comes from Latin transigere ("to come to an agreement").
The French have a similar verb, "transiger," which also means "to compromise."
You may wonder if the word transigent exists in English, and the answer is "not really."
It has seen occasional use, but it is not well established.
There is, however, one other common English word that traces from Latin transigere: transact, meaning "to conduct (business)."