intractability

noun

Definition of intractabilitynext
as in rebellion
refusal to obey the dog's frustrating intractability forced the family to try obedience training by a professional

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for intractability
  1. rebellion
  2. defiance
  3. recalcitrance
  4. disrespect
Noun
  • As Frederick Douglass noted in a June 1854 newspaper editorial, however, many Americans praised Henry’s phrase and the violent rebellion against British oppression while simultaneously decrying violent resistance to slavery.
    — Cassandra Good, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Wouldn't that seed resentment and the beginnings of the exact rebellion that takes place?
    — Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • She was shown writing her real name (girls and women in Gilead are forbidden to read and write) and giving the camera a signature June look of defiance.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Below ground, Red Ribbon, a hidden cocktail lounge, nods to Asheville’s spirited anti-Prohibitionists, who wore red ribbons as a symbol of defiance.
    — Jenn Rice, AFAR Media, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • But those prior instances of presidential recalcitrance — just two, spread out over 248 years — were narrow.
    — Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
  • The permitting reform that was supposed to pass in parallel with the climate bill never became law because of Republican recalcitrance and Democratic fears of incurring the wrath of environmentalists.
    — Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
Definition of recalcitrance
Noun
  • The disrespect of Shedeur Sanders has reached absurd levels.
    — Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2025
  • My concerns have only doubled since the hearing, at which two academics from the University of Connecticut’s Puerto Rican Studies Initiative for Civic Engagement and Public Policy were treated with suspicion and sidelong disrespect by certain legislators.
    — Julio Fuentes, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of disrespect
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

intoxications
intractability
intractable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intractability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intractability. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All