Standard Lemma guide

tractable

adj · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɹæk.tə.bəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Queensland Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AE1 K T AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Capable of being easily led, taught, or managed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: docile, manageable, governable, amenable, biddable, complaisant, compliant, controllable, indulgent, maniable, meek, passive, pliant, rulable, tractable, yielding

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Easy to deal with or manage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Capable of being shaped; malleable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Capable of being handled or touched.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: palpable, practicable, feasible, serviceable

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Sufficiently operationalizable or useful to allow a mathematical calculation to proceed toward a solution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Algorithmically solvable fast enough to be practically relevant, typically in polynomial time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computer, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, science, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)- Samuel Butler

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • tractable young minds
  • the natives...being...of an intelligent tractable disposition

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: manipulable

Antonyms: intractable

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

readily reacting to suggestions and influences

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a responsive student

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: amenable

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English tractable, tractabel, from Latin tractābilis (“that may be touched, handled, or managed”), from tractō (“take in hand, handle, manage”), frequentative of trahō (“draw”).

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ենթարկվող (entʻarkvoġ) — capable of being easily led
  • Armenian: լսող (lsoġ) — capable of being easily led
  • Armenian: հնազանդ (hnazand) — capable of being easily led
  • Bulgarian: послушен (poslušen) — capable of being easily led
  • Catalan: tractable — capable of being easily led
  • Finnish: mukautuva — capable of being easily led
  • Finnish: taipuisa — capable of being easily led
  • French: docile — capable of being easily led
  • French: conciliant — capable of being easily led
  • French: malléable — capable of being easily led
  • Hungarian: irányítható — capable of being easily led
  • Irish: sochomhairleach — capable of being easily led
  • Latin: tractābilis — capable of being easily led
  • Macedonian: по́слушен (póslušen) — capable of being easily led
  • Macedonian: по́корен (pókoren) — capable of being easily led
  • Manx: so-choyrlit — capable of being easily led
  • Māori: ngawhere — capable of being easily led
  • Portuguese: manejável — capable of being easily led
  • Russian: покорный (pokornyj) — capable of being easily led
  • Russian: послу́шный (poslúšnyj) — capable of being easily led
  • Swedish: medgörlig — capable of being easily led
  • Swedish: foglig — capable of being easily led
  • Bulgarian: податлив (podatliv) — capable of being shaped
  • French: malléable — capable of being shaped
  • Macedonian: по́датлив (pódatliv) — capable of being shaped
  • Portuguese: dúctil — capable of being shaped
  • Catalan: tractable — capable of being handled or touched
  • Dutch: handelbaar — capable of being handled or touched
  • Portuguese: manejável — capable of being handled or touched
  • Russian: пода́тливый (podátlivyj) — capable of being handled or touched