= wicked, adj.1 2f. Obsolete.

Chiefly Scottish. Troublesome; difficult. Obsolete.

Bad, in various senses (not always clearly distinguishable). Frequent in Middle English use; later… Difficult to do something with. Obsolete.

Intractable; incapable of being treated or dealt with; unmanageable. Obsolete.

Of things: †(a) adverse, unfavourable, untoward; difficult to deal with, refractory; (of shape (cf. sense B. 2)) ill-formed, ugly (obsolete); (b)…

transferred. Of a thing: = disobedient, adj. b.

Of things; Refractory to treatment, intractable; difficult to subdue, work, cure, etc.

figurative, transferred, and in figurative context.

Of a thing: difficult or impossible to handle or control; awkward, unmanageable; characterized by unpredictable or wayward behaviour.

That cannot be handled or managed with ease; unmanageable, uncontrollable, unwieldy.

Of a person: difficult to deal with, control, or contend against. In early use chiefly in †too hard for: too much for (a person), more than (a…

Of things: Difficult to manipulate, work, deal with, or perform; stubborn, stiff.

Difficult to deal with.

Of soil: Unkindly, stiff, hard, and difficult to work, ill repaying the husbandman's toil. Formerly also of metal: Difficult to work, intractable…

Unwieldy.

Of a material thing: unmanageable; refractory, recalcitrant; offering resistance.

transferred. Unyielding, intractable, stubborn.

(un-, prefix1 affix 1b.)

transferred of things.

= intractable, adj. 2.

Difficult or impossible to control, govern, or regulate. Of an event, action, or situation.

Of things: Not to be manipulated, wrought, or brought into any desired condition; not easily treated or dealt with; resisting treatment or effort.

figurative from 2 3: †‘Imperious’, stern and rough (obsolete); (of soil, etc.) obstinate, refractory, intractable; (of weather, etc.) rough and…

Incapable of being split by wedges; uncleavable.

Of a thing: awkward, difficult to deal with. Obsolete.

That cannot be controlled or restrained.

Of a thing, phenomenon, etc.: resistant, intractable; not responsive to human endeavour or persuasion.

Of a thing: intractable. Obsolete. rare.

(un-, prefix1 affix 1.)

transferred. Of animals and inanimate things: Obstinate, refractory; stubborn, unyielding.

Not adaptable to different purposes, changing circumstances, etc.; not showing adaptability or versatility. Cf. unpliable, adj. 3.

That cannot be governed; uncontrollable. Of things.

Of inanimate natural objects, the weather, etc.: Gloomy, dismal. Of things, with respect to their growth, progress, or movement: Sluggish. Also di…

= intractable, adj. 2.

= unwieldy, adj. 2 3 4. Also transferred.

Awkward to handle, bungling and troublesome.