Synonyms of tractable

tractable

adjective

ˈtrak-tə-bəl 

as in obedient

readily giving in to the command or authority of another

put the dog in obedience classes, with the hopes of making her a little more tractable

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obedient
• docile
• compliant
• amenable
• biddable
• restrained
• submissive
• conformable
• controllable
• gentle
• decorous
• soft
• tame
• meek
• repressed
• amiable
• law-abiding
• governable
• obliging
• agreeable
• dutiful
• acquiescent
• manageable
• constrained
• subordinate
• yielding
• orderly
• servile
• obsequious
• disciplined
• subservient
• placable
• mannerly
• duteous
• trainable
• teachable
• mild
• slavish
• surrendering
• inhibited
• fawning
• obeisant
• handleable
• curbed
• disciplinable
• kowtowing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intractable
• refractory
• recalcitrant
• wilful
• willful
• defiant
• unruly
• contrary
• rebellious
• restive
• ungovernable
• obstreperous
• wayward
• contumacious
• disobedient
• stubborn
• balky
• insubordinate
• noncompliant
• obstinate
• mutinous
• untoward
• unmanageable
• wild
• obdurate
• rebel
• resistant
• peevish
• unyielding
• uncontrollable
• insurgent
• headstrong
• hardheaded
• mulish
• unamenable
• dogged
• defiant
• perverse
• froward
• mischievous
• incompliant
• balky
• bad
• disorderly
• naughty
• pigheaded
• errant
• undisciplined
• self-willed
• insolent
• impudent
• dissident
• rude
• impolite
• disrespectful
• nonconformist
• misbehaving
• ill-bred
• ill-mannered

Synonym Chooser

How is the word tractable different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of tractable are amenable, docile, and obedient. While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

When might amenable be a better fit than tractable?

While the synonyms amenable and tractable are close in meaning, amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

Where would docile be a reasonable alternative to tractable?

While in some cases nearly identical to tractable, docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

When would obedient be a good substitute for tractable?

The words obedient and tractable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tractable

In the 12th century, for instance, the Dutch began to drain swamps to create tractable land for agriculture. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025

None of these visions, however, proved tractable: Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran misjudged the strength of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli society, and the U.S.-Israeli alliance. —Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 17 Dec. 2024

Like James’s governess, Christine becomes an author of sorts through her attempts to understand a situation that isn’t, in the end, all that tractable. —Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024

Medical researchers have made these images tractable for CNNs by breaking them up into much smaller fragments—square tiles, for example. —IEEE Spectrum, 23 Aug. 2021

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