INTRACTABILITY Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

intractability

noun

Definition of intractability

as in rebellion

refusal to obey the dog's frustrating intractability forced the family to try obedience training by a professional

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of intractability Their stories live on in Sardinian lore with an almost mythical quality, the brigands admired for their intractability. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026 But Bass and every council member and all their successors need to be reminded that a civic sense of intractability is a dangerous thing. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026 Taken together, these examples point to the possibilities for dissolving intractability with hope and reversing cycles of hatred and revenge – often strengthened by one’s faith. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Nov. 2025 Our problem may be less about the intractability of today’s campus conflicts than about the gap between progressive universities, particularly elite ones, and a much more conservative American public. — Jonathan Marks, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for intractability

Noun

It’s also brilliantly written as a futile, pathetic rebellion by men with zero agency or purpose in their own lives.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
In Fernández’s version, Antíkona’s insubordination inspires a peoples’ rebellion and brings an end to Klion’s rule due to his inability to treat citizens with common decency.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

Her Easter Sunday performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 in front of 75,000 spectators remains a touchstone of defiance in an age of racial violence.

— Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Her decision to so publicly criticize him was a rare instance of GOP defiance, especially in her district, which Trump carried by more than a dozen points two years ago.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiance

Noun

From grandmother to grandchild, these three sets of two sisters were powerful characters possessed with passion, willfulness, bravery, and devotion to each other.

— Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of willfulness

Noun

Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.

— Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.

— Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Definition of rebelliousness

Noun

The board's vague message didn't point to specific administrators or specific instances of disrespect.

— Aubrey Wright, IndyStar, 11 Sep. 2026
No disrespect to the players themselves, Burns said, but Dallas showing that level of concern this close to the start of the season is noteworthy.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of disrespect

Browse Nearby Words

intoxications

intractability

intractable

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“Intractability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intractability. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of intractability

noun

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