Meanings
adjectiveintractable (comparative more intractable, superlative most intractable)
comparative more intractable · superlative most intractable
- Not tractable; not able to be managed, controlled, governed or directed.
And I cannot but expect that this will repeatedly lead to the discovery that an initially intractable problem can be factored after all.
1972, Edsger W. Dijkstra, The Humble Programmer (EWD340) - mathematicsNot able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve.
- Difficult to deal with, solve, or manage. (of a problem)
Working with many nations in this room, we are solving decades of intractable challenges, and we are settling years of unfinished business.
2026 September 22, Donald Trump, speech at United Nations1 more example
Work—bureaucratic work in particular—poses a series of intractable dilemmas that often demand compromises with traditional moral beliefs.
1988, Robert Jackall, “Chapter 1: Moral Probations, Old and New”, in Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers, Twentieth Anniversary edition, →ISBN, page 12
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivenot tractable; difficult to manage or mold
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Italic*n̥-
- Latinin-
- Middle Englishin-
- Englishin-
- Englishtractable
- Englishintractable
Translations
Bulgarian неподатлив, непокорен
- неподатлив (nepodatliv)not tractable
- непокорен (nepokoren)not tractable
- упорит (uporit)stubborn, obstinate
- упорит (uporit)medicine: difficult to treat
Catalan intractable
- intractablenot tractable
Chinese Mandarin 難控制的 /难控制的, 難解決的 /难解决的
- 難控制的 /难控制的 (nán kòngzhì de)not tractable
- 難解決的 /难解决的 (nán jiějué de)not tractable
- 倔強 /倔强 (juéjiàng)stubborn, obstinate
- 難治癒的 /难治愈的 (nán zhìyù de)medicine: difficult to treat
Czech nezvladatelný
- nezvladatelnýnot tractable
Dutch onhandelbaar, moeilijk
- onhandelbaarnot tractable
- moeilijkmathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- obstinaatstubborn, obstinate
- koppigstubborn, obstinate
Finnish vaikea, hankala
- vaikeanot tractable
- hankalanot tractable
- uppiniskainennot tractable
- itsepäinennot tractable
- omapäinennot tractable
- vaikea ratkaistamathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- vaikeaof a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage
- hankalaof a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage
- visainenof a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage
- itsepäinenstubborn, obstinate
- omapäinenstubborn, obstinate
- omavaltainenstubborn, obstinate
French ingouvernable, intraitable
- ingouvernablenot tractable
- intraitablemathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- intraitablestubborn, obstinate
- butéstubborn, obstinate
- intraitablemedicine: difficult to treat
German schwer handhabbar, verfahren
- schwer handhabbarnot tractable
- verfahrennot tractable
- unlenksammathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- störrischstubborn, obstinate
- sturstubborn, obstinate
- schwierig zu behandelnmedicine: difficult to treat
Hungarian szívós, kezelhetetlen
- szívósnot tractable
- kezelhetetlennot tractable
- engedetlennot tractable
- rakoncátlannot tractable
- fegyelmezhetetlennot tractable
- nehézmathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- makacsstubborn, obstinate
- konokstubborn, obstinate
- hajthatatlanstubborn, obstinate
- csökönyösstubborn, obstinate
- makacsmedicine: difficult to treat
Latin intractābilis
- intractābilisnot tractable
Māori kakī mārō, upoko mārō
- kakī mārōstubborn, obstinate
- upoko mārōstubborn, obstinate
Russian неуправляемый, трудная
- неуправляемый (neupravljajemyj)not tractable
- трудная (trudnaja)mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- тру́дный (trúdnyj)mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- трудноразрешимый (trudnorazrešimyj)of a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage
- упря́мый (uprjámyj)stubborn, obstinate
- непода́тливый (nepodátlivyj)stubborn, obstinate
- непоко́рный (nepokórnyj)stubborn, obstinate
- трудноизлечи́мый (trudnoizlečímyj)medicine: difficult to treat
Spanish inmanejable, intratable
- inmanejablenot tractable
- intratablemathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve
- intratableof a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage
- obstinadostubborn, obstinate
- intratablemedicine: difficult to treat
Swedish ohanterlig, omedgörlig
- ohanterlignot tractable
- omedgörligstubborn, obstinate
- svårbehandladmedicine: difficult to treat
Cite this entry
APA
intractable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intractable
MLA
“intractable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intractable. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intractable,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intractable.
Source: intractable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.