intractable
adjective
in·trac·ta·ble
(ˌ)in-ˈtrak-tə-bəl 
1
: not easily governed, managed, or directed
intractable problems
2
: not easily relieved or cured
intractable pain
3
: not easily manipulated or shaped
intractable metal
Synonyms
Examples of intractable in a Sentence
Contrary to the idea of black holes sucking everything, even light, into inconceivable nothingness, Hawking proposed that there was one thing that could escape a black hole's intractable grip: thermal radiation …
—
Bruno Maddox, Discover, September 2006
Sepsis, which is what happens to the body when an infection goes bad, is one of mankind's oldest and most intractable foes.
—Leon Jaroff, Time, 24 July 2000
But now anesthesiologists have begun turning to an herb to help treat a deadly and often intractable lung condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people a year.
—Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 26 Oct. 1999
a patient experiencing intractable pain
an intractable child who deliberately does the opposite of whatever he is told
Bruno Maddox, Discover, September 2006
Sepsis, which is what happens to the body when an infection goes bad, is one of mankind's oldest and most intractable foes.
—Leon Jaroff, Time, 24 July 2000
But now anesthesiologists have begun turning to an herb to help treat a deadly and often intractable lung condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people a year.
—Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 26 Oct. 1999
a patient experiencing intractable pain
an intractable child who deliberately does the opposite of whatever he is told
Recent Examples on the Web
Compared to other, more intractable health problems, addressing presbyopia is fairly inexpensive.
—Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Artificial intelligence technology paired with the widespread use of social media among teens who might not fully understand the consequences seems like an intractable problem, said Sheri Morgan, a Laguna Beach resident whose daughter attends Laguna Beach High School.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Another challenge for Harris Biden has assigned Harris a number of seemingly intractable issues during her vice presidency, from the decades-old problem of migration to the U.S. southern border to pushing back on a generations-old pattern of limiting voting rights for left-leaning Americans.
—Trevor Hunnicutt, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
But as domestic politics have become intensely polarized around seemingly intractable issues and defined by love-or-hate figures such as Donald Trump, many people on all sides have wondered openly what a second domestic conflict might look like.
—EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
His current work applies this research to intractable problems in quantum computing and information.
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
Looking back, his efforts at Camp David remain one of the few foundations for hope in that long and intractable conflict.
—Jason Carter
february 18, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2024
Given the long list of intractable issues, from Taiwan to trade sanctions, boosting student numbers should have been among the easiest to progress on.
—Cate Cadell, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Already struggling to contain intractable crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, the United States is also grappling with an impasse in the Balkans over a gas pipeline into Bosnia, an issue that is freighted with big geopolitical stakes.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Artificial intelligence technology paired with the widespread use of social media among teens who might not fully understand the consequences seems like an intractable problem, said Sheri Morgan, a Laguna Beach resident whose daughter attends Laguna Beach High School.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Another challenge for Harris Biden has assigned Harris a number of seemingly intractable issues during her vice presidency, from the decades-old problem of migration to the U.S. southern border to pushing back on a generations-old pattern of limiting voting rights for left-leaning Americans.
—Trevor Hunnicutt, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
But as domestic politics have become intensely polarized around seemingly intractable issues and defined by love-or-hate figures such as Donald Trump, many people on all sides have wondered openly what a second domestic conflict might look like.
—EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
His current work applies this research to intractable problems in quantum computing and information.
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
Looking back, his efforts at Camp David remain one of the few foundations for hope in that long and intractable conflict.
—Jason Carter
february 18, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2024
Given the long list of intractable issues, from Taiwan to trade sanctions, boosting student numbers should have been among the easiest to progress on.
—Cate Cadell, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Already struggling to contain intractable crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, the United States is also grappling with an impasse in the Balkans over a gas pipeline into Bosnia, an issue that is freighted with big geopolitical stakes.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intractable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near intractable
Cite this Entry
“Intractable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intractable. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intractable
adjective
in·trac·ta·ble
(ˈ)in-ˈtrak-tə-bəl
1
: not easily managed or controlled
an intractable child
2
: not easily relieved or cured
intractable pain
Medical Definition
intractable
adjective
in·trac·ta·ble
(ˈ)in-ˈtrak-tə-bəl
1
: not easily managed or controlled (as by antibiotics or psychotherapy)
an intractable child
activity against many intractable Proteus and Pseudomonas species of bacteria—Annual Report Pfizer
Annual Report Pfizer2
: not easily relieved or cured
intractable pain
intractable bleeding in duodenal ulcer—Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical AssociationLove words? Need even more definitions?
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