intractable

[ in-trak-tuh-buhl ]

/ ɪnˈtræk tə bəl /

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See synonyms for: intractable / intractability / intractableness / intractably on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not easily controlled or directed; not docile or manageable; stubborn; obstinate: an intractable disposition.

(of things) hard to shape or work with: an intractable metal.

hard to treat, relieve, or cure: the intractable pain in his leg.

noun

an intractable person.

OTHER WORDS FOR intractable

1 perverse, headstrong, dogged, obdurate, stony, willful, froward.

1, 2 fractious, refractory, unbending, inflexible, adamant, unyielding.

See synonyms for intractable on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR intractable

1 amiable.

1, 2 amenable, flexible.

See antonyms for intractable on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of intractable

From the Latin word intractābilis, dating back to 1535–45. See in-³, tractable

synonym study for intractable

1, 2. See unruly.

OTHER WORDS FROM intractable

in·trac·ta·bil·i·ty, in·trac·ta·ble·ness, nounin·trac·ta·bly, adverb

How to use intractable in a sentence

The federal government has pledged $300 million to the intractable border sewage problem, which allows millions of gallons of untreated sewage to pour into the Pacific Ocean.
Morning Report: Turning Border Sewage Into Local Water|Voice of San Diego|November 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
This effort follows others in Baltimore that have had some success tackling the intractable health problems of violence and overdose deaths.
Peer coaches work to address covid-19, other health disparities in Baltimore|Meredith Cohn|November 8, 2020|Washington Post
There’s a long list of other intractable problems in the vision, too.
San Diego Is a Big City – Todd Gloria Wants it to Act Like One|Andrew Keatts|November 6, 2020|Voice of San Diego
It’s an ingenious workaround for an otherwise intractable problem.
Disorder Persists in Larger Graphs, New Math Proof Finds|Kevin Hartnett|November 4, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Few problems are longer-term or more intractable than America’s systemic racial inequality.
AI has exacerbated racial bias in housing. Could it help eliminate it instead?|Katie McLean|October 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The press gets involved, the Twittersphere goes wild, and all the seeds of intractability are sown.
What Hockey Players Can Teach our Toothless Politicians|Dave Maney|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But for spring 2012, the designer's intractability paid off.
Milan’s Day-Glo Exuberance|Robin Givhan|September 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
One reason for the current intractability is that U.S. businesses over-reacted to the initial downturn.
How to Really Fix the Economy|Juliet Schor|August 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
We can admit the intractability of depravation, and still strive for dignity.
Obama's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech|Barack Obama|December 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A vexatious delay occurred from the intractability of the mules, which persistently refused to allow themselves to be caught.
South African Memories|Lady Sarah Wilson
There is a disparity between the inner intractability and the external regularity of these poems.
mile Verhaeren|Stefan Zweig
Forced by some act of the city to abandon one idea, the next that followed found a new intractability.
The City of Delight|Elizabeth Miller
John Northcote was Sheriff just at this time, and was most probably held responsible for the intractability of his countrymen.
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts|Rosalind Northcote
The legate returned to Rome, in despair at the hot-headed monarch's intractability.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 391, May, 1848|Various

British Dictionary definitions for intractable

intractable

/ (ɪnˈtræktəbəl) /

adjective

difficult to influence or directan intractable disposition

(of a problem, illness, etc) difficult to solve, alleviate, or cure

difficult to shape or mould, esp with the hands

Derived forms of intractable

intractability or intractableness, nounintractably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

intractable

OTHER WORDS FOR intractable

OPPOSITES FOR intractable

Origin of intractable

synonym study for intractable

OTHER WORDS FROM intractable

Words related to intractable

How to use intractable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for intractable

Derived forms of intractable