noncooperation

or non·co-op·er·a·tion

[ non-koh-op-uh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. failure or refusal to cooperate.
2. a method or practice, as that established in India by Gandhi, of showing opposition to acts or policies of the government by refusing to participate in civic and political life or to obey governmental regulations. Compare civil disobedience ( def 1 ), passive resistance.

noncooperation

/ ˌnɒnkəʊˈɒpərətɪv; ˌnɒnkəʊˌɒpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. failure or refusal to cooperate
2. refusal to pay taxes, obey government decrees, etc, as a protest

Derived Forms

• ˌnoncoˈoperˌator, noun
• noncooperative, adjective

Other Words From

• non·co·op·er·a·tive [non-koh-, op, -er-, uh, -tiv, -, uh, -rey-tiv], adjective
• nonco·oper·ator noun
• nonco·oper·ation·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of noncooperation¹

First recorded in 1785–95; non- + cooperation

Example Sentences

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has studied Mexico’s cartels and the U.S. opioid crisis, said the agreement described by Mr. Biden is not a “magic wand” but is a great improvement over Beijing’s total noncooperation.

From Washington Times

Black leather unmistakably communicates noncooperation with a formal or clean-cut dress code; it telegraphs insouciance, skepticism, jadedness.

From Washington Post

Knowing Bobby’s penchant for noncooperation with authority figures, he might well have been incarcerated more for his attitude than anything else.

From Literature

The filing said Kemp’s “strident show of noncooperation” could itself be seen as “a tactic to influence the November election.”

From Washington Post

“Musk’s increasingly outlandish requests reflect not a genuine examination of Twitter’s processes but a litigation-driven campaign to try to create a record of noncooperation on Twitter’s part.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• dereliction
• infringement