intractable
Americanadjective
-
not easily controlled or directed; not docile or manageable; stubborn; obstinate.
an intractable disposition.
- Synonyms:
- unyielding, adamant, inflexible, unbending, refractory, fractious, froward, willful, stony, obdurate, dogged, headstrong, perverse
-
(of things) hard to shape or work with.
an intractable metal.
- Synonyms:
- unyielding, adamant, inflexible, unbending, refractory, fractious
-
hard to treat, relieve, or cure.
the intractable pain in his leg.
noun
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
Related Words
See unruly.
Other Word Forms
- intractability noun
- intractableness noun
- intractably adverb
Etymology
Origin of intractable
From the Latin word intractābilis, dating back to 1535–45. See in- 3, tractable
Explanation
Can't manage your stubborn little brother who won't do what anyone says? You could call him intractable, or you could call your mother. Problems are intractable when they can't be solved. Intractable means not tractable. Helpful, right? No? Let's break it down. In both words you see the word tract. A contract is a written document that explains how a legal situation is to be managed together. When someone is tractable they are able to be managed or handled. When they are intractable, they are as unmanageable as a hungry two-year old.
Vocabulary lists containing intractable
This Week in Words: September 29 - October 5, 2018
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "I"
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This Week in Words: May 11–17, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's not about being faster. It's about being so dramatically faster that you change what is feasible. We will be able to solve problems that are absolutely intractable with classical computers," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Overlapping plots and jurisdictions trigger intractable land disputes.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
"Their paper should enable a broad spectrum of studies that previously were intractable."
From Science Daily • Jan. 19, 2026
Is his Golden State address an intractable obstacle or not?
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
Some of them are unmannered, rough, intractable, as well as ignorant; but others are docile, have a wish to learn, and evince a disposition that pleases me.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
