Synonym Chooser

How is the word tractable different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of tractable are amenable, docile, and obedient. While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

When might amenable be a better fit than tractable?

While the synonyms amenable and tractable are close in meaning, amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

Where would docile be a reasonable alternative to tractable?

While in some cases nearly identical to tractable, docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

When would obedient be a good substitute for tractable?

The words obedient and tractable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tractable The corresponding symplectic spaces are more complicated than the one for a pendulum, but still tractable. Leila Sloman, WIRED, 5 May 2024 Like James’s governess, Christine becomes an author of sorts through her attempts to understand a situation that isn’t, in the end, all that tractable. Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024 This all makes for a very promising step toward a tractable system to study primate embryogenesis, but the techniques are far from perfect. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 1 June 2023 This question was made more mathematically tractable by Simon Laplace. Sourav Goswami, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for tractable 

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Thesaurus Entries Near tractable

Cite this Entry

“Tractable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tractable. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on tractable

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