refractory

American  

[ri-frak-tuh-ree] / rɪˈfræk tə ri /

adjective

1. hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient.

   a refractory child.

   Synonyms:

   ungovernable, recalcitrant, disobedient, intractable, headstrong, mulish, perverse, obstinate

   Antonyms:

   tractable, obedient

2. resisting ordinary methods of treatment.

3. difficult to fuse, reduce, or work, as an ore or metal.

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noun

• refractories
  plural

1. a material having the ability to retain its physical shape and chemical identity when subjected to high temperatures.

2. refractories, bricks of various shapes used in lining furnaces.

refractory British  

/ rɪˈfræktərɪ /

adjective

1. unmanageable or obstinate

2. med not responding to treatment

3. (of a material) able to withstand high temperatures without fusion or decomposition

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noun

1. a material, such as fireclay or alumina, that is able to withstand high temperatures: used to line furnaces, kilns, etc

refractory Scientific  

/ rĭ-frăk′tə-rē /

1. Having a high melting point. Ceramics that are made from clay and minerals are often refractory, as are metal oxides and carbides. Refractory materials are often used as liners in furnaces.

2. Resistant to heat.

3. Of or relating to a refractory period.

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Synonym Usage

See unruly.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• refractoriness
  noun
• unrefractory
  adjective
• refractorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• refractories
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of refractory

First recorded in 1600–10; variant of refractary (by analogy with adjectives in -ory ¹ ), from Latin refrāctārius “stubborn, obstinate,” equivalent to refrāct(us) ( see refract) + -ārius -ary

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Explanation

Imagine yourself pulling a dog who doesn't want to walk. The dog is refractory, or stubbornly resisting your authority. The word refractory comes from a Latin word meaning "obstinate" and can also be used to mean "not responsive to something." If you have a cold you can't shake, you could say you have a refractory cough. The word can also be used to describe a material that maintains its strength at very high heats. The outside of a space shuttle is made of refractory material, so that it can reenter the atmosphere without burning up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

refractory refractories

Food and Drug Administration is reviewing Arcellx’s application seeking approval of anito-cel as a fourth-line treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, with a decision expected by the end of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a biologics license application for anito-cel as a fourth-line treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

He said the medical cause of Benn's death was "refractory cardiogenic shock due to taxane alkaloid poisoning, following ingestion of yew tree berries and leaves".

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2023

In order to collect the data, researchers turned to a group of patients who have refractory epilepsy, currently untreatable by medication.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2023

So Meg wrestled alone with the refractory sweetmeats all that hot summer day, and at five o’clock sat down in her topsy-turvey kitchen, wrung her bedaubed hands, lifted up her voice and wept.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

U.S. and European companies have been recently investing in developing synthetic graphite as demand from the EV sector is surging for this soft form of carbon, which until recently was mainly used for steelmaking refractories.

From Reuters ● Oct. 20, 2023

It boasted that it was the world's No. 1 producer of aluminum, tinplate, refractories, plumbing fixtures, lifting jacks, air brakes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Allain knew where to find men; twenty-five leagues from Caen, in the department of La Manche, some way from any highroad, is situated the village of La Mancellière, whose men were all refractories.

From The House of the Combrays by G. Le Notre

Even Moses had to kill the envious refractories, while Savonarola, the unarmed prophet, was destroyed.

From History of Modern Philosophy From Nicolas of Cusa to the Present Time by Richard Falckenberg

Relatively small but increasingly important quantities are used in making bauxite brick or high alumina refractories for furnace-linings.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Leith

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