tractable

1 of 2

adjective

trac·​ta·​ble ˈtrak-tə-bəl 

1

: capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled : docile

a tractable horse

2

: easily handled, managed, or wrought : malleable

tractability

ˌtrak-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

tractableness

ˈtrak-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

tractably

ˈtrak-tə-blē 

adverb

tractability

2 of 2

noun

trac·​ta·​bil·​i·​ty ˌtraktəˈbilətē 

-lətē, 

-i

: the quality or state of being tractable

was only too delighted at this tractability

—Thomas Hardy

Did you know?

A frequentative is a form of a verb that indicates repeated action. The frequentative of the word sniff, for example, is sniffle, meaning “to sniff repeatedly.” Some English words come from a frequentative in another language, and tractable is one. Tractable, meaning “easily led or managed,” comes from the Latin adjective tractabilis, which in turn comes from the verb tractare, which has various meanings including “to drag about,” “to handle,” “to deal with,” and “to treat.” Not to drag on too much about Latin, but tractare is the frequentative of another Latin verb, trahere, meaning “to drag or pull.” Now, one can pull or tug a draft animal on a lead, for example, whether or not that animal is willing or compliant. But if one can pull, handle, or otherwise deal with that animal repeatedly or continuously with ease (by treating it well, we presume)? Well, you can see where this is leading—in English we would call our helpful animal friend tractable. Speaking of farms, despite its resemblance, tractor did not pass through the frequentative tractare but it does come from trahere.

Synonyms of tractable

Adjective

• obedient

Choose the Right Synonym for tractable

obedient, docile, tractable, amenable mean submissive to the will of another.

obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

Examples of tractable in a Sentence

Adjective

This new approach should make the problem more tractable.

He's a very tractable child.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

After decades of mathematicians spinning their wheels, the problem suddenly seemed tractable. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 19 May 2026

The immediate relief operation is difficult but tractable: count the food packages, match the supply to the shelters, and sign people up for financial assistance. —Carla Sertin, Wired News, 8 Apr. 2026

At the top will be the most computationally intensive methods—prohibitively expensive on classical computers but tractable on quantum computers. —Chi Chen, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Mar. 2026

Thanks to housing crises in big cities, many aspiring writers can’t afford rooms of their own, and contractions in the media industry have made writing as a profession less tractable. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin tractabilis, from tractare to handle, treat

Noun

Latin tractabilitas, from tractabilis tractable + -itas -ity

First Known Use

Adjective

1502, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tractable

• extractable
• intractable
• retractable

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

tractable

adjective

trac·​ta·​ble ˈtrak-tə-bəl 

: easily led, taught, or controlled

a tractable horse