Standard Lemma guide

intransigence

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪnˈtɹæn.sɪ.d͡ʒəns/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N T R AE1 N S AH0 JH AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: IH2 N T R AE1 N S IH0 JH AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: stubbornness, immovableness, intransigentism
  • The intransigence of both sides frustrated the negotiators.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: intransigency, stubbornness, immovableness, intransigentism

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the trait of being intransigent; stubbornly refusing to compromise

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: intransigency

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stubbornness, bullheadedness, obstinacy, obstinance, pigheadedness, self-will

History

Etymology

From French intransigeance, noun form of intransigeant, borrowed from Spanish intransigente at the end of the nineteenth century. Morphologically, from in- + transiger + -ant, literally "uncompromising".

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: непримиримост (neprimirimost) — intransigence
  • Bulgarian: безкомпромисност (bezkompromisnost) — intransigence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不妥協 /不妥协 (bùtuǒxié) — intransigence
  • Danish: kompromisløshed — intransigence
  • Danish: umedgørlighed — intransigence
  • Dutch: onverzettelijkheid — intransigence
  • Finnish: myöntymättömyys — intransigence
  • French: intransigeance — intransigence
  • German: Unnachgiebigkeit — intransigence
  • German: Intransigenz — intransigence
  • Greek: αδιαλλαξία (adiallaxía) — intransigence
  • Icelandic: þrjóska — intransigence
  • Norwegian Bokmål: umedgjørlighet — intransigence
  • Polish: nieprzejednanie — intransigence
  • Polish: nieustępliwość — intransigence
  • Romanian: intransigență — intransigence
  • Russian: непримири́мость (neprimirímostʹ) — intransigence
  • Russian: непрекло́нность (nepreklónnostʹ) — intransigence
  • Russian: бескомпроми́ссность (beskompromíssnostʹ) — intransigence
  • Spanish: intransigencia — intransigence
  • Swedish: omedgörlighet — intransigence
Real reading context

intransigence in complete knowledge articles