uncooperative

uncooperative — adjective

1. describes a person who refuses to join efforts with others or to offer help when

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a person who refuses to join efforts with others or to offer help when asked, often making shared tasks harder for everyone involved.

Example

The teenager was uncooperative with the counsellor, refusing to answer any questions about his behaviour.

uncooperative with + noun phrase

Devika found the IT department uncooperative when she asked for help with her laptop.

find + object + uncooperative

Common collocations
  • uncooperative attitude
  • uncooperative behaviour
  • uncooperative witness
  • uncooperative patient
  • uncooperative with the police
  • uncooperative with the staff
  • become uncooperative
  • remain uncooperative
Synonyms
  • unhelpful

    slightly narrower; focuses on not offering aid rather than resisting joint effort

  • difficult

    broader and less formal; can describe a person, situation, or task

  • obstinate

    stronger in tone; emphasises stubborn refusal to change position, not just to cooperate

  • defiant

    implies active, open resistance rather than passive non-cooperation

Antonyms
  • cooperative

    direct opposite; willing to work with others

  • helpful

    narrower opposite; ready to give assistance

Grammar Patterns

uncooperative + with + noun phrase

find + object + uncooperative

become / remain + uncooperative

Usage Note

Common in both job-performance contexts (evaluating a colleague or employee) and institutional settings (police, medical, educational). The preposition 'with' introduces the person or group the subject is resisting.

Common Mistakes

The client was uncooperative to help.
The client was uncooperative and refused to help.
'uncooperative' does not take an infinitive; describe the behaviour in a separate clause.
He was very uncooperative with cooperate.
He was very uncooperative with the team.
'with' requires a noun or noun phrase, not a verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Uncooperative' describes someone who will not join efforts or offer help, often in a team or official setting. 'Unhelpful' is narrower — it focuses on the refusal to give aid rather than the rejection of joint work, and is slightly less formal. 'Difficult' is the broadest of the five; it can describe a person, a task, or a situation, and carries no specific implication about teamwork (e.g., 'a difficult exam'). 'Obstinate' is stronger and more negative, suggesting a stubborn refusal to change one's position even when cooperation is clearly needed. 'Defiant' implies active, open resistance — the person is not just refusing to help but is visibly pushing back. In a performance review you might say 'an uncooperative employee'; in a police report you would say 'the witness was unhelpful' or 'the suspect was defiant'; a parent might describe a child as 'difficult' or 'obstinate' depending on the behaviour.

uncooperative ↗unhelpful ↗difficult ↗obstinatedefiant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • deliberately uncooperative
  • consistently uncooperative
  • increasingly uncooperative
  • completely uncooperative

Phrases

  • become uncooperative
  • remain uncooperative
  • find someone uncooperative
  • turn uncooperative

Prepositions

  • uncooperative with

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed by adding the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') to 'cooperative', which comes from Latin 'cooperari' (to work together). 'Co-' means 'together' and 'operari' means 'to work'. The word entered English in the early 1600s.