Intractable
Chronic pain, office politics, and certain math problems all refuse the tidy arc where effort always equals progress.
Learn This WordMeaning
Hard to control, manage, or solve; difficult to influence or remedy.
Memory trick
IN-TRACTABLE: not tractable, not easy to handle or pull into line.
Examples
Legacy integration turned into an intractable technical debt issue.
The dispute seemed intractable until both parties changed incentives.
They faced intractable delays caused by external approvals.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin intractabilis "not manageable," from in- "not" + tractabilis "manageable," from tractare "to handle."
Usage Notes
Strong word for stubborn problems or people. Common in policy, medicine, and engineering.
Real-life contexts
Use in risk reviews: "This is intractable under current constraints."
Use in strategy: "Break intractable problems into tractable slices."
Use in facilitation: "Name what feels intractable before proposing fixes."
Common Mistakes
Intractable means very hard, not impossible. Leave room for progress.
Master This Word
Add "intractable" to your vocabulary and practice with AI & smart flashcards!
Start LearningQuick Facts
Part of Speech
adjective
Difficulty
advancedMonthly Searches
~30,000