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
-
View gallery - 5 images There's a rebellion underway against the always-on, infinitely-scrollable nature of the smartphone.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 June 2026
-
Within weeks, the new hypernationalist government mounted an effort to suppress the Russian language in the Donbas, provoking a rebellion among ethnically Russian Ukrainians.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
For this poet, the first place of childhood and language is his village in the South, a place that has continued to exist in defiance of some of the most brutal forces of occupation, aggression, and now unabashed annihilation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
In a 230-191 vote, the House approved the bill in defiance of House GOP leadership.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
9 June 2026
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.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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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.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
25 May 2026
-
Apple’s always emerging — from a depressive fog, from some volcanic fugue, from recalcitrance, from fear, from disappointment, from being too inside herself.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The idea is a partial and symbolic sharing, and the purpose is to break the link between hard work and disrespect.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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Historical novelists are often charged with disrespect and unseriousness, of ransacking the archives for sensational scenery to hang behind their conventional family sagas and love stories.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intractability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intractability. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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