uncooperative

adjective

Definition of uncooperativenext
as in stubborn
not willing to do what someone wants or asks for; not cooperative uncooperative children an uncooperative witness

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uncooperative The Department of Homeland Security plans to equip ICE agents with gloves that emit electric shocks to use on uncooperative people in the field, according to a notice posted on its acquisition system. — Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026 According to the sheriff, Joyce’s roommate has been uncooperative during the investigation. — Yana Johnson, NBC news, 29 July 2026 But rather than being uncooperative, Aguilar would be better off expressing a willingness to review the administration’s evidence. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 27 July 2026 Both men were uncooperative with police, who are trying to determine where the shooting happened and the motive. — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncooperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncooperative
  1. stubborn
  2. willful
  3. defiant
  4. recalcitrant
  5. noncooperative
Adjective
  • Speaking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming late last week, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh highlighted his worries about stubborn inflation .
    — Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Knight set up Darby on a table and hit a springboard clothesline on the stubborn announce table.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of stubborn
Adjective
  • Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citizenship may be revoked if it was illegally procured or obtained through the concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation.
    — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The emotional Moon moves through your 10th House of Career and squares the willful Sun in your 1st House of Identity.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of willful
Adjective
  • Captured after years on the run and sentenced to life in 2017, Mladic remained defiant and unrepentant, still revered by some Serbs as a nationalist hero.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing it on board with the White House’s latest effort to subdue an Iranian leadership stubbornly defiant after almost six months of war, however, is an extremely tall order.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiant
Adjective
  • Brian is a gee-whiz irritant, with a reckless attachment to the family’s conveniently recalcitrant dog and a knack for making dangerous situations worse.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Part of the problem is that, outside of their tenants’ pleas, landlords face neither any real pressure nor any legal requirement to install shutters and ceiling fans; even owners who want to do so are thwarted by recalcitrant co-op boards or finicky historic-preservation reviews.
    — Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
Definition of recalcitrant
Adjective
  • The European Space Agency’s ClearSpace-1, planned for 2029, tackles the harder case by capturing the unprepared, noncooperative Proba-1 satellite and dragging it down to burn up.
    — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
  • Dolphins that partnered with fishers also experienced a 13 percent boost in survival, compared with noncooperative ones, most likely because of the animals spending the majority of their time in the lagoon.
    — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2023
Definition of noncooperative

Browse Nearby Words

uncool
uncooperative
uncoordinated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uncooperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncooperative. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All