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tractable

[trak-tuh-buh l]
See more synonyms for tractable on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. easily managed or controlled; docile; yielding: a tractable child; a tractable disposition.
  2. easily worked, shaped, or otherwise handled; malleable.
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Origin of tractable

1495–1505; < Latin tractābilis, equivalent to tractā(re) to handle, deal with (frequentative of trahere to draw) + -bilis -ble
Related formstrac·ta·bil·i·ty, trac·ta·ble·ness, nountrac·ta·bly, adverbnon·trac·ta·bil·i·ty, nounnon·trac·ta·ble, adjectivenon·trac·ta·ble·ness, nounnon·trac·ta·bly, adverbun·trac·ta·bil·i·ty, nounun·trac·ta·ble, adjectiveun·trac·ta·ble·ness, nounun·trac·ta·bly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. manageable, willing, governable.

Antonyms

1. stubborn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tractable

Historical Examples

  • Flagg found him a tractable sitter, and a most interesting one.

    Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete

    Albert Bigelow Paine

  • Under the eye of his master he is the most tractable of all beings.

  • The Alseas are not so tractable, and exhibit but little desire for improvement.

  • Do you mean that her schoolmistress does not find her tractable?

    A True Friend

    Adeline Sergeant

  • She tendered her now tractable guest a second cup of coffee.

    Laramie Holds the Range

    Frank H. Spearman

British Dictionary definitions for tractable

tractable

adjective
  1. easily controlled or persuaded
  2. readily worked; malleable
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Derived Formstractability or tractableness, nountractably, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from Latin tractābilis, from tractāre to manage, from trahere to draw
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 tractable

adj.

"manageable," early 15c., from Latin tractabilis "that may be touched, handled, or managed," from tractare "to handle, manage" (see treat). Related: Tractability.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper