incorrigibility

incorrigibility

A child's incorrigibility is shown by his repeated refusal to tidy his toys.

Definition

Noun: The quality or state of being incorrigible, meaning impossible to correct, reform, or improve, especially in terms of bad habits, behavior, or character flaws.

Usage Examples
  • (The inability to be reformed or corrected.)
  • (A persistent and unchangeable tendency toward misbehavior.)
  • (A fixed, unchangeable vice or defect.)
Advanced Usage

  • "Incorrigibility of human nature": a philosophical or theological concept referring to the belief that certain innate flaws in human character cannot be eliminated.

    • The philosopher argued that the incorrigibility of human nature makes perfect utopia impossible. (The unchangeable, flawed essence of humanity.)

  • "Incorrigibility in criminal law": a legal term used to describe a defendant who is deemed unlikely to be reformed, often leading to longer sentences or different treatment.

    • The judge cited the defendant's incorrigibility as justification for a maximum sentence. (The legal assessment of unchangeable criminal tendencies.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Incorrigible (adj): impossible to correct or reform.
    • The incorrigible liar could not stop fabricating stories. (Describing a person with an unchangeable habit of lying.)
  • Incorrigibleness (n): an alternative noun form meaning the same as incorrigibility.
    • His incorrigibleness was a source of constant frustration for his teachers. (The state of being impossible to correct.)
Synonyms
  • Irreformability: the quality of being impossible to reform or improve.
  • Uncorrectability: the quality of being impossible to correct or fix.
  • Obstinacy: stubbornness, though often implying willful resistance rather than inherent unchangeability.
Related Idioms
  • Set in one's ways: having fixed habits or opinions that are difficult to change.
    • Despite advice, he remained set in his ways, a clear sign of incorrigibility. (A description of unchangeable behavior.)
  • Hardened criminal: a person who is deeply and permanently involved in crime, suggesting incorrigibility.
    • The police regarded him as a hardened criminal, his incorrigibility beyond doubt. (A criminal whose behavior is seen as unchangeable.)