What does intransigent mean?

Refusing to compromise or to alter one's position.

Intransigent

adjective; also noun

/ɪnˈtræn.sɪ.dʒənt/

Refusing to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude; unyielding and uncompromising, especially in negotiation or principle.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

When the two sides remained intransigent on the question of sharing river waters, the Union government's role shifted from neutral arbiter to active mediator, underscoring that cooperative federalism cannot function where states treat negotiation as surrender.

Synonyms

uncompromisingobdurateinflexibleunyieldingadamantobstinate

Antonyms

accommodatingflexibleconciliatorycompromising

🌱 Word Family

intransigence (n), intransigency (n), intransigently (adv), transigent (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin transigere = to come to agreement; trans- = across; agere = to drive; in- = not

📜 Etymology

First used in English in 1874, from French intransigeant, from Spanish los intransigentes ("those not coming to agreement", a name for extreme republicans in the 1870s), from in- "not" + Latin transigere "to come to an agreement", from trans- "across, through" + agere "to drive, carry through".

🧠 Memory Hook

In- ('not') + transigent (think 'transact / transaction') = one who will NOT transact, i.e. refuses to make a deal or strike a bargain.

🎯 How This Word Works in UPSC Writing

Refusing to compromise or to change a position. It is a precise word for a negotiating posture, and its analytical value in GS2 is that intransigence is often strategic rather than temperamental: a party may refuse movement because it expects time to improve its position, or because domestic politics forecloses concession. Identifying which explains more is the useful move.

⚖️ Don’t Confuse It With

Intransigent refuses to compromise. Inflexible lacks capacity to adapt rather than willingness. Obdurate is stubbornly resistant to persuasion generally. Principled holds a position on grounds of value, which is the charitable reading of the same behaviour.

🇮🇳 Hindi Meaning

अड़ियल (adiyal) or समझौता न करने वाला.

❓ Common Questions

What does intransigent mean?: Refusing to compromise or to alter one's position.
Why might a State be intransigent in negotiations?: Often for strategic reasons, such as expecting time to improve its position, or because domestic political constraints make concession impossible.

🤝 International Relations 📖 Seen in: India & Its Neighbours — Bilateral Rel...

Relevant across:GS2 · Polity, Governance & IR

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