recalcitrant
stubbornly resistant to authority or control
Roots
- re-: back, again, or backward motion
- recalcitr / calx: kick back, heel, or stubborn resistance
Other words with the recalcitr / calx root
- recalcitrance: stubborn resistance to authority or control
- recalcitrate: to kick back or resist stubbornly
Recalcitrant is the mule kicking back: resistance with heels in it.
The recalcitrant committee ignored every deadline until funding was threatened.
The old picture is not abstract stubbornness; it is kicking back. A recalcitrant person resists like an animal that refuses the lead.