Dictionary

intractable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈtɹæk.tə.bəl/ (UK, US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English tractable English intractable From in- + tractable.

Meanings

1. 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):
2. (of a mathematical problem) Not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve.
3. Difficult to deal with, solve, or manage. (of a problem)
   • 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:
4. Stubborn; obstinate. (of a person)
5. Difficult to treat (of a medical condition).

Forms

Deriveds

intractability · intractableness · intractably

Translations (76)

cmn 難控制的 /难控制的 (not tractable) · ota صارپ (stubborn, obstinate) · ru упря́мый (stubborn, obstinate) · cmn 倔強 /倔强 (stubborn, obstinate) · nl koppig (stubborn, obstinate) · nl moeilijk (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · fi vaikea (not tractable) · de schwer handhabbar (not tractable) · de verfahren (not tractable) · hu engedetlen (not tractable) · fr buté (stubborn, obstinate) · fr ingouvernable (not tractable) · bg упорит (stubborn, obstinate) · ru трудноизлечи́мый (medicine: difficult to treat) · ca intractable (not tractable) · hu konok (stubborn, obstinate) · es intratable (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · ru трудная (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · ru трудноразрешимый (of a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage) · mi kakī mārō (stubborn, obstinate) · hu rakoncátlan (not tractable) · fi itsepäinen (stubborn, obstinate) · ru тру́дный (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · sh nesavladiv (not tractable) · mi upoko mārō (stubborn, obstinate) · oc intractable (stubborn, obstinate) · fi itsepäinen (not tractable) · de unlenksam (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · de störrisch (stubborn, obstinate) · cs nezvladatelný (not tractable) · fr intraitable (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · oc intractable (medicine: difficult to treat) · oc intractable (not tractable) · hu csökönyös (stubborn, obstinate) · ru непоко́рный (stubborn, obstinate) · fi vaikea (medicine: difficult to treat) · cmn 難治癒的 /难治愈的 (medicine: difficult to treat) · fr intraitable (medicine: difficult to treat) · fi hankala (of a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage) · hu hajthatatlan (stubborn, obstinate) · sv ohanterlig (not tractable) · fi omapäinen (stubborn, obstinate) · es obstinado (stubborn, obstinate) · fr intraitable (stubborn, obstinate) · hu nehéz (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · de schwierig zu behandeln (medicine: difficult to treat) · bg неподатлив (not tractable) · fi itsepintainen (medicine: difficult to treat) · hu fegyelmezhetetlen (not tractable) · ru непода́тливый (stubborn, obstinate) · nl obstinaat (stubborn, obstinate) · sv svårbehandlad (medicine: difficult to treat) · sv omedgörlig (stubborn, obstinate) · fi vaikea ratkaista (mathematics: not able to be solved in polynomial time; too difficult to attempt to solve) · fi hankala (not tractable) · la intractābilis (not tractable) · es inmanejable (not tractable) · ru неуправляемый (not tractable) · fi omapäinen (not tractable) · fi omavaltainen (stubborn, obstinate) · fi visainen (of a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage) · cmn 難解決的 /难解决的 (not tractable) · fi vaikea (stubborn, obstinate) · es intratable (medicine: difficult to treat) · fi uppiniskainen (not tractable) · nl onhandelbaar (not tractable) · hu kezelhetetlen (not tractable) · hu makacs (stubborn, obstinate) · hu makacs (medicine: difficult to treat) · fi vaikea (of a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage) · de stur (stubborn, obstinate) · bg упорит (medicine: difficult to treat) · es intratable (of a problem: difficult to deal with, solve, or manage) · sh intraktabilan (not tractable) · hu szívós (not tractable) · bg непокорен (not tractable)