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Glite Dictionary
balker

balker

1 9.7
A person or animal that refuses to move and will not obey
  • noun
  • /ˈbɔːlkər/
  • US
translation icon : rebelde
  • As a known balker, he often disrupted the team's progress with his stubbornness.

Examples

  • The committee struggled to persuade the lone balker to support the new policy.

  • No matter how much they negotiated, the balker refused to yield to their demands.

  • The horse is a notorious balker during training.

  • Don't be such a balker when it's time to start!

  • The toddler became a balker when it was time to leave the park.

  • Whenever the horses reach the starting gate, there is always one balker that refuses to move.

  • He is known as a balker because he often hesitates to join in any group activities.

Synonyms

refuser
vsbalker
1 6.7

A person who does not do, accept, or agree to something

is about stopping movement or not continuing, and can describe animals
noncompliant
vsbalker
  • Specialized
8.4

A person who does not follow rules or instructions

is broader, covering stopping movement or animals, not only rule disobedience

Antonyms

complier
3.6

A person who follows rules and does what they are asked

How Willing

volunteer
710 2.2
participant
295 2.4
reluctant
247 3.5
balker
  • US
1 9.7
objector
15 5.1

Surface Forms

balker singular
balkers plural

Morphology

balker = balk (transparent) = balk + er

The word is transparently derived from 'balk' with the addition of the agentive suffix '-er', indicating someone who performs the action of balking.

Etymology

Balker comes from the word balk, which long ago also meant a beam or fence that stopped a way. So a balker, with -er meaning 'one who', is 'one who stops' or refuses to go on, like someone who 'blocks' a group's progress.