intransigence in-ˈtran(t)-sə-jən(t)s , -ˈtran-zə- noun
: stubbornly refusing to compromise or change one’s attitude or position on a topic
_________
The word intransigence has appeared in 35 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Oct. 8 in “‘Rural Surge’ Propels India Toward More Covid-19 Infections Than U.S.” by Karan Deep Singh and Jeffrey Gettleman:
Out in the rural areas, many people behave as if there is no coronavirus. Even many police officers who have been empowered to enforce the pandemic rules are not wearing masks.
This intransigence has helped India catch up with the United States in terms of total infections. U.S. cases are near 7.6 million, compared with India’s 6.8 million, according to a New York Times database. But India outpaces new American cases by 30,000 or so each day, putting it on a path to potentially surpass the United States in the coming weeks.
Many people in Indian villages believe their government is overstating the severity of the pandemic and showing no sensitivity to the economic hardship that they are suffering.
_________