Renitent

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛnɪtənt/

Definitions

1. Stubbornly resistant to pressure, control, or authority; showing persistent opposition or unwillingness to comply
2. offering firm resistance to pressure or force
3. resisting efforts to bend, move, or control through persistent opposition

Etymology: Latin "renitī" meant "to push back" or "to struggle against," built from "re-" ("back, against") and "niti" ("to lean on, strive"). Its present participle, "renitēns," gave English the adjective "renitent," which describes something that pushes back against pressure, control, or authority. The image at the root is physical. Something that leans against an obstacle and refuses to yield is the core of the meaning, and the English sense of stubborn resistance to a person or institution grows naturally out of that push. The word stayed a learned, formal term, mostly found in writing rather than everyday speech.

Synonyms: resistant, unyielding

Antonyms: compliant, submissive