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
Attempting to model the interaction between a protein with thousands of atoms and a drug-like molecule with hundreds of atoms quickly becomes intractable, exceeding the computing power of even the most advanced computing clouds.
—Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
While some political theorists blame alarmist and misleading rhetoric for this dilemma, others opine that the ultimate culprit that threatens American democracy is the electorate’s seemingly intractable polarization.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Advertisement Though the experts commended the report for attempting to grapple holistically with an intractable issue, some thought its focus on government subsidies failed to account for the primary cause of homelessness: an inadequate supply of affordable housing in the marketplace.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Federici’s most radical insistence may also be her most obvious: that no quantity of broken glass ceilings will resolve this intractable riddle.
—Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for intractable 
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Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
While some political theorists blame alarmist and misleading rhetoric for this dilemma, others opine that the ultimate culprit that threatens American democracy is the electorate’s seemingly intractable polarization.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Advertisement Though the experts commended the report for attempting to grapple holistically with an intractable issue, some thought its focus on government subsidies failed to account for the primary cause of homelessness: an inadequate supply of affordable housing in the marketplace.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Federici’s most radical insistence may also be her most obvious: that no quantity of broken glass ceilings will resolve this intractable riddle.
—Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for intractable
Dictionary Entries Near intractable
Cite this Entry
“Intractable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intractable. Accessed 26 Nov. 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—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationLove words? Need even more definitions?
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