incorrigible
15
8.1
- adjective
- /ɪnˈkɔːrɪdʒəbl/
:
incorregible
- Despite numerous attempts at reform, the community labeled him as an incorrigible troublemaker.
Examples
-
Mother Superior said he was incorrigible, whatever that meant.
Fiction book (1993) -
I've always been an incorrigible Anglophile because no country on earth has had more impact on the modern world than this one.
-
And I happen to have the most incorrigible child in the world.
-
In this way we shall try to make up for our incorrigible hero.
-
"Well, honey, if you ask me, we live in an incorrigible world."
Fiction book (2000) -
She is an incorrigible thief.
-
In contrast, children who are perceived as being 'bad,' 'incorrigible,' or 'unmanageable' will have poor classroom experiences.
Academic text (1997) -
When he didn't improve, they decided the colt was incorrigible.
-
And indeed, he was an incorrigible optimist about the likelihood of white redemption.
Academic text (1997) -
Ebaugh found that children afflicted with the condition were: quarrelsome, hyperkinetic, impulsive, talkative, moody, irritable, incorrigible, and suffered from insomnia.
Academic text (1997)
Synonyms
24
7.6
Too badly damaged to be fixed or made right again
22
8.7
Hard to manage, change, or control
7
6.1
A person who cannot change a strong habit or way of thinking
3
4.9
Impossible to repair or make work again
2
8.2
Not able to be changed for the better
2
6.4
Impossible to change
1
8.6
Cannot be changed to be good again
1
7.9
Not able to be fixed or controlled
1
8.8
Cannot change to behave or think in a better way
1
9.6
Not able to be fixed or made better
Something you cannot change or fix
Impossible to move or change
Antonyms
How Correctable
Surface Forms
Morphology
incorrigible = corrigible (semi-transparent) = in + corrig + ible
The meaning 'not able to be corrected' follows from the negative prefix 'in-' plus 'corrigible', but the Latin-derived root form ('corrig'/'corrigible') is relatively rare and differs from the common word 'correct', which may reduce immediate recognizability for learners.
Etymology
The word incorrigible comes from the Latin prefix in- 'not' and the same root as correct, which means 'to make right'. So an incorrigible person or thing is 'not able to be corrected', which is why we use it for someone who cannot be changed.