incorrigibleness

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

Definition

Noun: The quality or state of being incorrigible; the condition of being beyond correction, reform, or improvement, especially in terms of behavior or character.

Usage Examples

• (The persistent refusal to change made correction impossible.)
• (Her habit of lying was so ingrained it could not be changed.)
• (The student's behavior was so fixed that discipline had no lasting effect.)

Advanced Usage

• "Incorrigibleness of habit": Refers to deeply entrenched patterns that resist change.
  • The incorrigibleness of his smoking habit led to repeated health warnings. (His addiction was so strong it could not be broken.)
• "Moral incorrigibleness": A philosophical or legal term for a person deemed incapable of ethical reform.
  • The judge cited the defendant's moral incorrigibleness as reason for a life sentence. (The person was seen as permanently beyond redemption.)

Variants and Related Words

• Incorrigible (adj): Not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed.
  • He is an incorrigible liar. (He lies habitually and cannot change.)
• Incorrigibly (adv): In a manner that cannot be corrected.
  • She is incorrigibly optimistic. (Her optimism is fixed and unshakable.)
• Corrigible (adj): Capable of being corrected or reformed (opposite of incorrigible).
  • The mistake is corrigible with practice. (It can be fixed.)

Synonyms

• Incorrigibility: The same abstract noun for the state of being incorrigible (more common than "incorrigibleness").
• Irreformability: The quality of being impossible to reform.
• Obstinacy: Stubbornness that resists change, though less absolute than incorrigibleness.

Related Idioms

• "A leopard cannot change its spots": A proverb meaning that a person's essential nature cannot be altered.
  • No matter how much you try, his incorrigibleness proves that a leopard cannot change its spots. (His fundamental character is fixed.)
• "Set in one's ways": Describes someone whose habits are so deeply fixed that they cannot be changed.
  • Her incorrigibleness shows she is truly set in her ways. (She is resistant to any change.)

Antonyms

• Reformability: The capacity to be improved or corrected.
• Malleability: The quality of being easily influenced or changed.