SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN 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.
Origin of intractable From the
Latin word
intractābilis, dating back to
1535–45. See
in-3 ,
tractable Related forms in·trac·ta·bil·i·ty , in·trac·ta·ble·ness , noun in·trac·ta·bly , adverb Synonyms for intractable 1 .
perverse ,
headstrong ,
dogged ,
obdurate ,
stony ,
willful ,
froward .
1, 2 .
fractious ,
refractory ,
unbending ,
inflexible ,
adamant ,
unyielding . See
unruly .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for intractable unmanageable ,
stubborn ,
intransigent ,
uncompromising ,
incurable ,
awkward ,
cantankerous ,
contrary ,
fractious ,
hard-line ,
headstrong ,
immovable ,
indomitable ,
insoluble ,
mulish ,
obdurate ,
obstinate ,
pat ,
pertinacious ,
perverse Examples from the Web for intractable Contemporary Examples of intractable Some express a feeling of hopelessness and that their intractable sadness will never abate.
Unfortunately, this new study shows how intractable that problem truly is.
The symptoms can show up as a wide array of intractable health problems.
On the left, many see it as a civil rights issue–potentially ameliorating the problem of intractable poverty.
We cannot step back and believe that a less confrontational posture will lead to peace with intractable adversaries.
Historical Examples of intractable I attempted to laugh off his predictions, but he was intractable .
Intractable as he ever was; he won't die, and he won't resign.
"Well, it is humiliating enough," said the intractable Paganel.
The father of the child says that at home he is violent, overbearing, and intractable .
Boab was not intractable , but he was sagacious; he had been fed on that sort of chaff too long.
British Dictionary definitions for intractable adjective difficult to influence or direct an intractable disposition
(of a problem, illness, etc) difficult to solve, alleviate, or cure
difficult to shape or mould, esp with the hands
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Derived Forms intractability or intractableness , noun intractably , 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
Word Origin and History for intractable adj. c.1500, "rough, stormy;" 1540s, "not manageable," from Latin intractabilis "not to be handled, unmanageable," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + tractabilis (see tractable ). Related: Intractably .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
intractable [ĭn-trăk′ tə-bəl]
adj. Difficult to manage or govern; stubborn.
Difficult to alleviate, remedy, or cure.
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Related forms in•trac′ta•bil′ i•ty n. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
