1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
an intractable child who deliberately does the opposite of whatever he is told
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
given to resisting control or discipline by others
cats are by nature fairly intractable animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intractable
The decades-old conflict in the Middle East has been one of the most intractable in the world.
—
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: Plastic waste continues to be an intractable problem, but some startups are developing new tech to help.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
The overwhelming majority are for people with terminal illnesses, mostly cancer, with a smaller number for people who have other nonterminal conditions that cause acute suffering — such as neurodegenerative disease or intractable depression.
—Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
But there’s nothing admirable about tossing off absurd and impossible solutions to intractable dilemmas.
—Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intractable
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: Plastic waste continues to be an intractable problem, but some startups are developing new tech to help.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
The overwhelming majority are for people with terminal illnesses, mostly cancer, with a smaller number for people who have other nonterminal conditions that cause acute suffering — such as neurodegenerative disease or intractable depression.
—Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
But there’s nothing admirable about tossing off absurd and impossible solutions to intractable dilemmas.
—Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intractable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intractable
Adjective
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Boon will play Eddie Harrigan, Kevin’s rebellious son.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2025
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In addition, parents who are too strict might even end up with kids who are extra rebellious.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But four months after becoming the first Republican in two decades to win the popular vote, Trump faces a new reality of needing to tackle some of the most stubborn challenges awaiting any new president and deliver on his campaign promises to lower prices.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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Like this Fire sign, Drizella is unapologetically stubborn and impatience, believing she is entitled to nothing but the best.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The attacks started this week after reports emerged that Assad loyalists had ambushed and killed members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – the rebel group that spearheaded the rebellion that ousted the former Syrian leader.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
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The singer and the songwriter traversed the frontlines of the urban guerrilla war that had consumed the city of Homs by that point, with one half of the city overtaken by regime soldiers and the other half controlled by rebel groups.—
Jawad Rizkallah,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
One in three Americans report carrying unmanageable levels of debt in 2024, according to a recent study from the Financial Health Network.—
Sacramento Bee,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Feb. 2025
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Without this foundation, systems and processes will fail—and the resulting manual, frustrating work will become unmanageable.—
Rana Robillard,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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President Donald Trump took a defiant victory lap in the House chamber on Tuesday night, using his address to a joint session of Congress to promote the flurry of drastic changes to domestic and foreign policy that his administration has made in just the first six weeks.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
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Trump, in a defiant victory lap speech lasting roughly 100 minutes, credited his predecessor for high inflation and vowed to bring down the costs of everyday goods while previewing further economic pain from new tariffs.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Or does so only briefly in the ambiguous ending, when Sofia throws off the last vestiges of her passivity and forces her recalcitrant mother into a reckoning with her condition.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Feb. 2025
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In an interview from a factory floor in El Salvador on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that foreign aid spending does not support U.S. aims and that USAID, the main conduit for foreign assistance, has been recalcitrant.—
ByCatherine Offord,
science.org,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Part of this containment strategy is to stop Chinese company transshipments through Canada and Mexico from engaging in willful U.S. tariff evasion.—
Jason Schenker,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
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Beyond market returns: Time and consistency are essential Given the willful chaos and uncertainty being generated by the Trump administration, there is no telling what the markets and the US economy will do in the foreseeable future.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Joking was her version of uncontrollable tears, but Dr. Fenton neither laughed nor pressed to see what was behind Lilian’s inane laughter.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
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Separating benefits from employee health also allows businesses to escape uncontrollable, often double-digit, group plan renewals.—
Jack Hooper,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intractable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intractable. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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