29 October 2017
intractable
[in-trak-tuh-buh l]
adjective
1. not easily controlled or directed; not docile or manageable; stubborn; obstinate:
an intractable disposition.
2. (of things) hard to shape or work with:
an intractable metal.
3. hard to treat, relieve, or cure:
the intractable pain in his leg.
noun
4. an intractable person.
Origin of intractable
Latin
1535-1545 From the Latin word intractābilis, dating back to 1535-45. See in-3, tractable
Related forms
intractability, intractableness, noun
intractably, adverb
Synonyms
1. perverse, headstrong, dogged, obdurate, stony, willful, froward. 1, 2. fractious, refractory, unbending, inflexible, adamant, unyielding. See unruly.
Antonyms
1. amiable. 1, 2. amenable, flexible.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for intractable
Contemporary Examples
Some express a feeling of hopelessness and that their intractable sadness will never abate.
‘Genie, You’re Free’: Suicide Is Not Liberation
Russell Saunders
August 11, 2014
Unfortunately, this new study shows how intractable that problem truly is.
Anti-Vaxxers Will Fuel the Next Pandemic
Russell Saunders
May 6, 2014
The symptoms can show up as a wide array of intractable health problems.
Pizza Might Be Your Enemy
Daniela Drake
March 8, 2014
On the left, many see it as a civil rights issue–potentially ameliorating the problem of intractable poverty.
Best Business Longreads
William O’Connor
November 16, 2013
We cannot step back and believe that a less confrontational posture will lead to peace with intractable adversaries.
Goodbye, Blue: A Post-Obama Democratic Doctrine
Doug Schoen, Jessica Tarlov
November 14, 2013
Historical Examples
I attempted to laugh off his predictions, but he was intractable.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 57, No. 351, January 1845
Various
intractable as he ever was; he won’t die, and he won’t resign.
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I.
Charles James Lever
“Well, it is humiliating enough,” said the intractable Paganel.
In Search of the Castaways
Jules Verne
The father of the child says that at home he is violent, overbearing, and intractable.
Spontaneous Activity in Education
Maria Montessori
Boab was not intractable, but he was sagacious; he had been fed on that sort of chaff too long.
Acadia
Frederic S. Cozzens
Anagram
cabaret lint
rattle cabin
tribal enact
battle cairn
bat clarinet
Today’s quote
In my experience, men who respond to good fortune with modesty and kindness are harder to find than those who face adversity with courage.
– Cyrus the Great
On this day
29 October 529BC – International Day of Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, responsible for the Cyrus Cylinder, which has been called the world’s first charter of human rights. The Cyrus Cylinder praised the munificence of King Cyrus and denounced the conquered Babylonian King Nabodinus as an oppressor of the people. It extols King Cyrus as a benefactor of the people, who liberated them from Nabodinus, repatriated them, restored temples and improved their lives. A copy of the cylinder sits in UN headquarters in New York as an example of early human rights. However, German historians have challenged the Cylinder as being propaganda that Cyrus had ordered be written, so that he appeared better than other leaders, when in fact he committed numerous atrocities when conquering other nations.
29 October 1929 – ‘Black Tuesday’, stock market crash leads to the Great Depression. Investors dumped 16 million shares and the market crashed a further 12%, losing $30 billion in two days.
29 October 1956 – Israel invades Egypt after President Nasser announces he is nationalising the Suez Canal, starting the Suez Crisis.
29 October 1969 – Creation of the ARPANET, predecessor of the internet, when the first host-to-host communication is sent. ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network which was operated by the U.S. Department of Defense.
29 October 1982 – Lindy Chamberlain found guilty of murdering her baby daughter, Azaria, after a jury dismissed her claim that a dingo took the baby. Her husband, Michael, was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder. She spent 3 years in jail, before being released. Eight years after the trial, her conviction was overturned. In 1992, her and Michael were acquitted and received $1.3 million in compensation from the Australian government for false imprisonment. There have been four inquests, with the latest being held 2012, with the finding that a dingo did take the baby.