Dictionary

refractory en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• audio Queensland
• /ɹəˈfɹæk.tə.ɹi/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹɪˈfɹæk.təɹ.i/ (Canada, US)
• /ɹɪˈfɹæk.tə.ɹi/ (Australia)
• /ɹɪˈfɹæk.tə.ɹi/ (UK)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Latin refractārius (“obstinate”), from refrāctus, past participle of refringere (“to break up”). Originally refractary, refractarie, but reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory.

Meanings

1. Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
   • […] in most instances attempts to coerce the refractory and disobedient have been the signals of bloody wars, […] 1787, Alexander Hamilton, “No. 16”, in The Federalist, published 1863, page 103:
   • For five minutes Pollyanna worked swiftly, deftly, combing a refractory curl into fluffiness, perking up a drooping ruffle at the neck, or shaking a pillow into plumpness so that the head might have a better pose. Meanwhile the sick woman, frowning prodigiously, and openly scoffing at the whole procedure, was, in spite of herself, beginning to tingle with a feeling perilously near to excitement. 1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:
   • And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. 1927 August, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “[Ariel Poems.] Journey of the Magi.”, in Collected Poems 1909–1935, London: Faber & Faber […], published September 1954, →OCLC, page 107:
   • Mr. Weller knocked at the door, and after a pretty long interval—occupied by the party without, in whistling a tune, and by the party within, in persuading a refractory flat candle to allow itself to be lighted […] 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “Chapter 26”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:
2. Not affected by great heat.
   • Pure lime is extremely refractory, but readily fusible if any silex is brought in contact with it; […] 1855, Frederick Overman, A Treatise on Metallurgy, page 315:
   • There are also over 1,200 pallet brick wagons used for the conveyance of refractory bricks. 1959 January 14, “Developments in Freight Transport”, in Railway Magazine, page 50:
3. Resistant to treatment; not responding adequately to therapy.
   • In 33 adult patients with long standing refractory epilepsy on treatment with one or two standard anti-convulsant drugs, 1990, H. A. Ring et al., “Vigabatrin: rational treatment for chronic epilepsy”, in J. Neurol. Neurosurg.Psychiatry, 53(12):1051-1055:
   • Many of the vague and refractory cases of neck and shoulder pain and of migraine may be due to cervical disc disease. 1949, Albert Fields, John Hoesley, “Neck and Shoulder Pain”, in Calif. Med., 70(6):478-482:
4. Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.
   • The […] delivery of external stimuli […] delineates the pacemaker refractory period after the emission of a pacing stimulus and after the sensing of a spontaneous beat. 1970, S.S. Barold et al., “Chest wall stimulation in evaluation of patients with implanted ventricular-inhibited demand pacemakers”, in Br. Heart J., 32(6):783-789:
   • The production of a generator potential leaves a refractory state in the receptor membrane […] 1959, Nobusada Ishiko, Werner R. Loewenstein, “Electrical output of a receptor membrane”, in Science, 130:1405-6:

Forms

Deriveds

chemorefractory · electrorefractory · refractoriness · refractory anaemia with excess blasts · unrefractory · refractory period · nonrefractory · psychological refractory period · refractory metal · biorefractory · refractory rhyme · photorefractory · refractorily

Relateds

refraction · refractive

Synonyms

contrary · bloody-minded · recalcitrant · inflexible · hardheaded · obstinate · intrepid · resolute · fractious · vehement · immovable · unbending · peremptory · bent on · grim · inveterate · determined · heat-resistant · pertinacious · stalwart · thwart · obstreperous · resolved · self-willed · untiring · refractory · headstrong · irrefragable · steady · intransigent · persistent · wilful · obdurate · staunch · truculent · adamant · terminal · hard-hearted · diehard · confirmed · certain · thran · uncompromising · dogged · fireproof · ardent · intractable · mulish · rigid · stubborn as a mule · pigheaded · incalcitrant · stubborn · peevish · sullen · insistent · tough · hard-nosed · bullheaded · chronic · unyielding · tenacious · steadfast · willful

Translations (86)

hu tűzálló (not affected by great heat) · hu makacs (obstinate; strongly opposed) · sh tvrdokoran (medicine: difficult to heal) · de refraktär (not affected by great heat) · io refraktara (not affected by great heat) · de halsstarrig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · nl weerbarstig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fi tulenkestävä (not affected by great heat) · de refraktär (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · el δύστηκτος (not affected by great heat) · hu ellenálló (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fr réfractaire (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fi refraktaarinen (medicine: difficult to heal) · sh refrakteran (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · el ανθεκτικός (medicine: difficult to heal) · de unempfindlich (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · de feuerfest (not affected by great heat) · sh refrakteran (not affected by great heat) · am ግትር (obstinate; strongly opposed) · el δυσίατος (medicine: difficult to heal) · bg непослушен (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fi kuumuudenkestävä (not affected by great heat) · bg непокорен (obstinate; strongly opposed) · de aufsässig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · de unempfänglich (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · ca refractari (obstinate; strongly opposed) · de hitzefest (not affected by great heat) · io refraktara (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fi itsepintainen (medicine: difficult to heal) · ru огнеупорный (not affected by great heat) · de widerstandsfähig (not affected by great heat) · bg трудно лечим (medicine: difficult to heal) · nl vuurvast (not affected by great heat) · io refraktara (medicine: difficult to heal) · de störrisch (obstinate; strongly opposed) · it refrattario (not affected by great heat) · pt refratário (medicine: difficult to heal) · hu nehezen kezelhető/gyógyítható (medicine: difficult to heal) · de feuerbeständig (not affected by great heat) · de widerspenstig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · el ανυπότακτος (obstinate; strongly opposed) · it refrattario (medicine: difficult to heal) · ru жаропрочный (not affected by great heat) · cmn 耐火的 (not affected by great heat) · de reizunempfindlich (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · el πυρίμαχος (not affected by great heat) · ca refractari (not affected by great heat) · de widerborstig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · sh vatrootporan (not affected by great heat) · de passiv (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · it refrattaria (obstinate; strongly opposed) · hu szembeszálló (obstinate; strongly opposed) · sh refrakteran (obstinate; strongly opposed) · cmn 不應的 /不应的 (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · de nicht auf Therapie ansprechend (medicine: difficult to heal) · fi refraktorinen (medicine: difficult to heal) · cs žáruvzdorný (not affected by great heat) · nl halsstarrig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fi itsepäinen (obstinate; strongly opposed) · it refrattario (obstinate; strongly opposed) · de hitzebeständig (not affected by great heat) · cmn 難治的 /难治的 (medicine: difficult to heal) · mi tīhoi (obstinate; strongly opposed) · id refrakter (medicine: difficult to heal) · hu hőálló (not affected by great heat) · hu ellenszegülő (obstinate; strongly opposed) · de therapierefraktär (medicine: difficult to heal) · sh tvrdokoran (obstinate; strongly opposed) · es refractario (obstinate; strongly opposed) · es refractario (medicine: difficult to heal) · pt refratário (obstinate; strongly opposed) · cmn 倔強的 /倔强的 (obstinate; strongly opposed) · mi tīhoihoi (obstinate; strongly opposed) · sv motspänstig (obstinate; strongly opposed) · es refractario (not affected by great heat) · fi omapäinen (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fi itsepintainen (obstinate; strongly opposed) · de widersätzlich (obstinate; strongly opposed) · fr réfractaire (not affected by great heat) · pt refratário (not affected by great heat) · hu refrakter (medicine: difficult to heal) · fr réfractaire (medicine: difficult to heal) · de renitent (obstinate; strongly opposed) · bg огнеупорен (not affected by great heat) · de unbeeinflussbar (biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus) · sh refrakteran (medicine: difficult to heal)

refractory en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• audio Queensland
• /ɹəˈfɹæk.tə.ɹi/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹɪˈfɹæk.təɹ.i/ (Canada, US)
• /ɹɪˈfɹæk.tə.ɹi/ (Australia)
• /ɹɪˈfɹæk.tə.ɹi/ (UK)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Latin refractārius (“obstinate”), from refrāctus, past participle of refringere (“to break up”). Originally refractary, refractarie, but reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory.

Meanings

1. A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.
2. A plant or factory that produces such material.

Forms

Translations (6)

it refrattario (material with a high melting point) · de feuerfester Stoff (material with a high melting point) · de feuerfester Baustoff (material with a high melting point) · el πυρίμαχος (material with a high melting point) · de Feuerfestmaterial (material with a high melting point) · de feuerfestes Material (material with a high melting point)