uncooperative
adjective
un·co·op·er·at·ive
ˌən-kō-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv 
-ˈä-pə-ˌrā-
: marked by an unwillingness or inability to work with others : not cooperative
the suspect was uncooperative with investigators
an uncooperative witness
… he wonders whether it would be such a bad thing if their uncooperative nanny quit …—
Caitlin Flanagan
Caitlin Flanagan
also
: providing difficulty
struggled with an uncooperative corkscrew
uncooperative weather
Examples of uncooperative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jammed phone lines, uncooperative websites, late payments During the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented surge of applicants struggled to obtain payments.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Pierce Brosnan’s first day as James Bond in 1995’s GoldenEye got off to a difficult start thanks to the actor’s uncooperative pinkie finger.
—John Russell, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Mills and Walker have both remained uncooperative and refuse to speak to detectives, according to Sullivan.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately, last April’s total solar eclipse was a bust for me, and the U.K.’s weather tends to be uncooperative for celestial events, often hiding them behind thick clouds.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 29 Mar. 2025
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Paul Davidson, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Pierce Brosnan’s first day as James Bond in 1995’s GoldenEye got off to a difficult start thanks to the actor’s uncooperative pinkie finger.
—John Russell, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Mills and Walker have both remained uncooperative and refuse to speak to detectives, according to Sullivan.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately, last April’s total solar eclipse was a bust for me, and the U.K.’s weather tends to be uncooperative for celestial events, often hiding them behind thick clouds.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncooperative
Cite this Entry
“Uncooperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncooperative. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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