as in rebellion
refusal to obey
the dog's frustrating intractability forced the family to try obedience training by a professional
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intractability
Noun
-
But the rebellion has also spurred a race to the bottom.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Confederate sympathizers carved up the old design, claiming the red-and-white Crossland pattern to signal rebellion loyalty.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some Iranians keep showing defiance anyway.—
Sanam Mahoozi Arlette Bashizi Saumya Khandelwal Stephen Marche,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
For the next 47 years the ban stood, though a few skaters still performed backflips in competition as a show of defiance.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But less than a month after proposing the inquiry, PURA released a decision abruptly canceling it and blaming the cancellation on utility recalcitrance.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The city faces large fines and legal fees, and might even lose its zoning power to a receiver because of its recalcitrance.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
19 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.—
Maressa Brown,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The stakes may differ, but the disrespect for local authority remains the same.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Swedish disrespect is real.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Intractability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intractability. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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