Someone or something that cannot be corrected, improved, or reformed; incapable of being fixed or disciplined.
From Latin 'in-' (not) plus 'corrigere' (to correct), with the suffix '-ible' meaning 'capable of.' The word entered English in the 1500s to describe someone beyond reform, often used for stubborn or troublesome people.
The word 'incorrigible' was popularized by Victorian-era educators trying to describe students they'd given up on—but it turns out many 'incorrigible' kids just needed different teaching methods, so the label says more about the teacher than the student!
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