tractable
adjective
Simple meaning
Able to be easily led, taught.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
traktuhbuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɹæktəbəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
of people
Capable of being easily led, taught, or managed.
Capable of being shaped; malleable.
of a problem
Easy to deal with or manage.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
Used this way, tractable is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use tractable
- “Tractable young minds.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
That can be taught.
Molded easily into a new form.
Capable of being managed or controlled.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A wheeled vehicle with large wheels.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
Antonyms
Sense: easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.