intractable

adjective in·trac·ta·ble \ (ˌ)in-ˈtrak-tə-bəl \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

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Examples: intractable in a Sentence

Definition of intractable

1 : not easily governed, managed, or directed

intractable problems

2 : not easily manipulated or shaped

intractable metal

3 : not easily relieved or cured

intractable pain

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intractability

play \(ˌ)in-ˌtrak-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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intractably

play \(ˌ)in-ˈtrak-tə-blē\ adverb

See intractable defined for English-language learners

See intractable defined for kids

Examples of intractable in a Sentence

Contrary to the idea of black holes sucking everything, even light, into inconceivable nothingness, Hawking proposed that there was one thing that could escape a black hole's intractable grip: thermal radiation … —Bruno Maddox, Discover, September 2006
Sepsis, which is what happens to the body when an infection goes bad, is one of mankind's oldest and most intractable foes. —Leon Jaroff, Time, 24 July 2000
But now anesthesiologists have begun turning to an herb to help treat a deadly and often intractable lung condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people a year. —Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 26 Oct. 1999
a patient experiencing intractable pain
an intractable child who deliberately does the opposite of whatever he is told

Recent Examples of intractable from the Web

At a time of intractable political differences and extreme partisan divides, the annual Republican vs. Democrat game is more three hours of levity and gamesmanship than solution to any grand problems.

— phil mattingly, CNN, "One year after grievous gunshot wound, Steve Scalise takes the field," 14 June 2018
If Kim proves intractable on the denuclearization question, or demands assurances in return that the U.S. can’t easily deliver, what’s his next move?

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Plan to Wing It at North Korea Summit Is Already Showing Cracks," 8 June 2018
For the past decade, an intractable standoff has prevented fundamental change in Gaza.

— fares akram, The Christian Science Monitor, "For Gazans, an open border crossing still presents barriers," 25 May 2018
One of the old rules was that the gun-control debate was intractable.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Why Parkland students have emerged as a powerful political voice," 19 Feb. 2018
Trump will seek one anyway, hoping to solve some of the most intractable conflicts with one of America’s least trustworthy adversaries in a flashy one-day event.

— nina jankowicz, The New Republic, "Available in Helsinki: the Fate of Eastern Europe," 13 July 2018
Uncannily confident, Slat used a TEDx talk in 2012 in his native Netherlands to announce that a solution to one of the world’s most intractable environmental problems was within grasp.

— james rainey /, NBC News, "A young Dutch inventor wants to clean plastic from the ocean. Can he do it?," 13 June 2018
Barnes & Noble is dealing with a larger, more intractable problem: chaos.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Is Barnes & Noble Too Big to Fail?," 6 July 2018
And the remaining mass of e-waste — mainly plastics laced with metals, chemicals and flame retardant — pose a more intractable problem.

— New York Times, "E-Waste Offers an Economic Opportunity as Well as Toxicity," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intractable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of intractable

Latin intractabilis, from in- + tractabilis tractable

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First Known Use: 1531

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

intractable Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of intractable

unruly, ungovernable, intractable, refractory, recalcitrant, willful, headstrong mean not submissive to government or control. unruly implies lack of discipline or incapacity for discipline and often connotes waywardness or turbulence of behavior.

- unruly children

ungovernable implies either an escape from control or guidance or a state of being unsubdued and incapable of controlling oneself or being controlled by others.