Intractable
[ɪn'træktəb(ə)l] or [ɪn'træktəbl]
Definition
(adj.) not tractable; difficult to manage or mold; 'an intractable disposition'; 'intractable pain'; 'the most intractable issue of our era'; 'intractable metal' .
Edited by Jeffrey--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Not tractable; not easily governed, managed, or directed; indisposed to be taught, disciplined, or tamed; violent; stubborn; obstinate; refractory; as, an intractable child.
Inputed by Leonard
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Stubborn, obstinate, perverse, refractory, dogged, mulish, pig-headed, unruly, headstrong, unmanageable, ungovernable, indocile, obdurate, cross-grained, wilful, inflexible, unyielding, contumacious, cantankerous.
Checked by Jennie
Synonyms and Antonyms
[See TRACTABLE]
Edited by Lilian
Definition
adj. unmanageable: obstinate.—ns. Intractabil′ity Intract′ableness.—adv. Intract′ably.
Inputed by Giles
Examples
- I know my Ellen--haughty, intractable; shall I say, just a shade unforgiving? Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- When he looked about him for another and a less intractable damsel to immortalize in melody, memory produced one with the most obliging readiness. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- She is not intractable. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- He has a sullen, rebellious spirit; a violent temper; and an untoward, intractable disposition. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- It gives politics a restless and intractable quality. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
Inputed by Giles