incorrigible
adjective
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If incorrigible Is a Word, Is Corrigible a Word?
Incorrigible has been part of English since the 14th century. Back then, it was used to describe people who were morally depraved, but now it is most often applied to people who merely have bad habits. Is there a "corrigible?" Yes, indeed, we've used "corrigible" in the sense of "capable of being set right; reparable" (as in "a corrigible defect" and "a corrigible sinner") since the 15th century. Both words are from Latin corrigere, which means "to correct" and which is also the source of our word correct.
Synonyms
Examples of incorrigible in a Sentence
Richard Lowry, National Review, 3 July 2000
At the heart of Roosevelt's style in foreign affairs was a certain incorrigible amateurism. His off-the-cuff improvisations, his airy tendency to throw out half-baked ideas, caused others to underrate his continuity of purpose …
—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., American Heritage, May/June 1994
Eating fugu … is an exotic custom that probably would appeal to every incorrigible mountain climber, skydiver and bungee-jumper in America. Why? The fugu is poisonous—and there's no antidote.
—Max Friedman, Vegetarian Times, October 1993
Yes, this is a book about America … all seen through the fairy-book life of an incorrigible kid, abandoned by his parents and brought up in a reformatory …
—Stephen Jay Gould, New York Times Book Review, 7 May 1989
an incorrigible habit of playing practical jokes
He is always the class clown and his teachers say he is incorrigible.
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2024
Working from the assumption that hoarding is a damaging psychological condition, and not just an annoying habit, the researchers got previously incorrigible pack rats to take videos and photos of their treasured possessions.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for incorrigible 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incorrigible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Incorrigible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incorrigible. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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