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
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.
Mr. Macmillan doesn’t lose sight of the central truths about clinical depression: that the causes are often inscrutable, its persistence can be intractable, and temporary relief often leads only to recurrence.
"We've made progress on this really big, seemingly intractable question: why is there something instead of nothing?" said Professor Messier.
From Science Daily
Overlapping plots and jurisdictions trigger intractable land disputes.
From Barron's
Miller said he and his wife, Staci, while mapping out their philanthropic work, chose to focus on intractable problems at the local, state, national and global level.
From Los Angeles Times
"Their paper should enable a broad spectrum of studies that previously were intractable."
From Science Daily
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.
