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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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

We’ve been told that Juliette is a once-in-a-generation leader, capable of pushing a rebellion further than it’s ever gone before.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
So using a Mexican bean in a staple of Italian home cooking was surprising, almost like an act of rebellion.

— Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

The duo's defiance paved the way for a resolution to condemn socialism, a key election-year messaging bill for the GOP that drew glaring defections among Democrats, many of whom were incensed at the turn of events.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Scott is himself a celebrated London Hamlet, here playing a man whose Hamlet was his last act of defiance.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiance

Noun

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
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.

— Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 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 public weighted plain disrespect – how people are treated, apart from the economics – significantly more heavily than the philosophers did.

— ESMT Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
In the millions upon millions of words written and said about this World Cup, who has shown disrespect to players from Haiti, or any other smaller nation?

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 27 July 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of intractability

noun

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