My dual mandate is to help my APUSH and SAT students and subscribers prepare for their upcoming tests. Today’s post will define and illustrate INTRANSIGENT.
APUSH
The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I. Painstakingly negotiated by President Wilson, the agreement included a clause calling for the formation of a League of Nations.
Wilson faced a difficult fight to win Senate approval for the treaty. Opponents led by Republican Senate Majority Leader Henry Cabot Lodge objected to the League’s collective security provision arguing that it would limit American sovereignty and undermine the power of Congress.
Increasingly acrimonious negotiations with the Senate soon revealed Wilson’s INTRANSIGENT or unyielding position. Rather than compromise on minor language, Wilson took his case to the American people. Three weeks into a grueling cross-country trip, Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke and returned to Washington. The Senate never approved the Treaty of Versailles and the United States never joined the League of Nations. The INTRANSIGENT Wilson left office a beaten and embittered man.
SAT
INTRANSIGENT is a classic SAT word that frequently appeared on the “old” SAT. According to reports on Reddit, INTRANSIGENT made its digital SAT debut on the May 2026 test. Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about the example SAT test writers used to illustrate INTRANSIGENT. Hopefully, I will learn more in the coming days. For now, it is important to remember that INTRANSIGENT describes someone who is stubborn and unyielding.
INTRANSIGENT – a stubborn and unyielding refusal to compromise or change one’s views