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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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
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
-
The Battle of the Alamo was one of the most monumental conflicts of the Texas Revolution, a rebellion that ended in Texas becoming independent from Mexico and establishing itself as a republic for nearly a decade before US statehood.
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In the press release for the album, you were quoted using the word rebellion when talking about rock and roll.
Noun
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But the results also suggested that in an earlier era, dark energy could have grown stronger, in seeming defiance of the law of energy conservation.
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Instead, Defendants appear to be actively undermining the restoration of the Kennedy Center’s name, in a petty act of defiance.
Noun
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.
Noun
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Yet his recalcitrance also runs the risk of costly retribution.
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As Holland recently alluded to in an interview with the Kings’ Zach Dooley and Jared Shafran, that recalcitrance could complicate the Kings’ timeline.
Noun
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Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.
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The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.
Noun
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And there’s no disrespect intended to fellow Hawks draftee Zuby Ejiofor (a 6-foot-7, 245-pound senior who was Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year?
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Now the removal or disrespect for women.
Cite this Entry
“Intractability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intractability. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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