inflexible


Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.

in·flex·i·ble

 (ĭn-flĕk′sə-bəl)
adj.
1. Not easily bent; stiff or rigid. See stiff.
2. Incapable of being changed; unalterable: an inflexible rule.
3. Refusing to change one's attitude, purpose, or principles; immovable: an inflexible disciplinarian.

in·flex′i·bil′i·ty, in·flex′i·ble·ness n.
in·flex′i·bly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

inflexible

(ɪnˈflɛksəbəl)
adj
1. not flexible; rigid; stiff
2. obstinate; unyielding
3. without variation; unalterable; fixed
[C14: from Latin inflexībilis; see inflect]
inˌflexiˈbility, inˈflexibleness n
inˈflexibly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•flex•i•ble

(ɪnˈflɛk sə bəl)

adj.
1. not flexible; incapable of or resistant to being bent; rigid: an inflexible plastic rod.
2. of an unyielding temper, purpose, will, etc.; immovable: an inflexible determination.
3. not permitting change or variation.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin]
in•flex`i•bil′i•ty, in•flex′i•ble•ness, n.
in•flex′i•bly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.inflexible - incapable of change; "a man of inflexible purpose"
flexible - capable of being changed; "flexible schedules"
2.inflexible - not making concessionsinflexible - not making concessions; "took an uncompromising stance in the peace talks"; "uncompromising honesty"
3.inflexible - resistant to being bent; "an inflexible iron bar"; "an inflexible knife blade";
inelastic - not elastic; "economists speak of an inelastic price structure"
flexile, flexible - able to flex; able to bend easily; "slim flexible birches"
4.inflexible - incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstancesinflexible - incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances; "a rigid disciplinarian"; "an inflexible law"; "an unbending will to dominate"
unadaptable - not adaptable
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

inflexible

adjective
1. fixed, set, established, rooted, rigid, immovable, unadaptable He was a man of unchanging habits and an inflexible routine.
3. stiff, hard, rigid, hardened, taut, inelastic, nonflexible The boot is too inflexible to be comfortable.
stiff yielding, flexible, elastic, supple, pliable, pliant, lissom(e)
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

inflexible

adjective
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
غَيْرُ مَرِنٌغَيْر مَرْن، عَنيدلا يَلْتَوي، لا يَنْثَني
neohebnýnepoddajnýnepružný
ubøjeligurokkeligstiv
joustamaton
nefleksibilan
hajthatatlannem hajlékony
ósveigjanlegur
頑固な
구부러지지 않는
nelanksčiainelankstumasnelankstusnepalenkiamumas
nelokāmsnesaliecams
orubblig
ไม่ยืดหยุ่น
bükülmezeğilmezesnek olmayankatısert
không mềm dẻo

inflexible

[ɪnˈfleksəbl] ADJ [substance, object] → rígido (fig) [person, opinions, rules] → inflexible
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

inflexible

[ɪnˈflɛksɪbəl] adj
[person] → inflexible; [approach] → rigide; [system] → rigide; [labour market] → rigide; [working hours, working arrangements] → rigide
[object, material] → rigide
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

inflexible

adj (lit) substance, objectunbiegsam, starr; (fig) person, attitude, opinionunbeugsam, inflexibel, stur (pej)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

inflexible

[ɪnˈflɛksəbl] adj (object) → rigido/a (fig) (person, ideas) → inflessibile, rigido/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

inflexible

(inˈfleksəbl) adjective
1. (of a person) never yielding or giving way.
2. not able to bend.
inˈflexibly adverb
inˌflexiˈbility noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

inflexible

غَيْرُ مَرِنٌ nepružný ubøjelig inflexibel άκαμπτος inflexible joustamaton inflexible nefleksibilan inflessibile 頑固な 구부러지지 않는 onbuigzaam ufleksibel nieelastyczny inflexível жесткий orubblig ไม่ยืดหยุ่น esnek olmayan không mềm dẻo 不灵活的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial.
Everything had been calculated with a depth of precognition which, for the first time in thirty years, recalled to him the solid foresight and inflexible logic of the great cardinal.
--Like it to stifle one's sun, and one's inflexible solar will: verily, this art and this winter-roguishness have I learnt WELL!
But as ever before, the pagan harpooneers remained almost wholly unimpressed; or if impressed, it was only with a certain magnetism shot into their congenial hearts from inflexible Ahab's.
The Emperor was inflexible both to the entreaties of his daughter and the tears of his grand-children, and all that could be obtained of him was that the sentence should be mollified, and changed into a condemnation to be hanged.
By both heredity and environment something of the man's inflexible character had touched the other members of the family; the Lassiter home, though not devoid of domestic affection, was a veritable citadel of duty, and duty--ah, duty is as cruel as death!
His proceedings were declared "un-American." There was very nearly a riot round Stones Hill; but Barbicane remained inflexible. When, however, the Columbiad was entirely finished, this state of closed doors could no longer be maintained; besides it would have been bad taste, and even imprudence, to affront the public feeling.
That spring Lena went with me to see Joseph Jefferson in `Rip Van Winkle,' and to a war play called `Shenandoah.' She was inflexible about paying for her own seat; said she was in business now, and she wouldn't have a schoolboy spending his money on her.
This answer left the viceroy in a state of perplexity, not knowing whether he ought to let the combat go on or not; but unable to persuade himself that it was anything but a joke he fell back, saying, "If there be no other way out of it, gallant knights, except to confess or die, and Don Quixote is inflexible, and your worship of the White Moon still more so, in God's hand be it, and fall on."
But Athos was a man of inflexible determination; he firmly adhered to a purpose once formed, when it seemed to him to spring from conscience and to be prompted by a sense of duty.
He was as religious as they, as stern and inflexible, and as deeply imbued with democratic principles.
As soon as Mehevi noticed the effect the intelligence had produced upon me, and the impatience I betrayed to reach the sea, his countenance assumed that inflexible rigidity of expression which had so awed me on the afternoon of our arrival at the house of Marheyo.