refractory

Noun · Adjective
US[ruh-frak-ter-ee]/rəˈfræktɚi/4 syllables
Synonyms: furnace liningstubbornfractiousrecalcitrant

Open English WordNet

Noun (1)

  1. lining consisting of material with a high melting point; used to line the inside walls of a furnaceSynonyms: furnace liningType of lining, linerMade of fireclay, alumina

Adjective (3)

  1. not responding to treatment“a stubborn infection”“a refractory case of acne”“stubborn rust stains”Synonyms: stubbornOpposite manipulableSimilar intractable
  2. temporarily unresponsive or not fully responsive to a process or stimulus“the refractory period of a muscle fiber”Opposite responsiveSimilar unresponsive
  3. stubbornly resistant to authority or control“a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness”“a refractory child”Synonyms: fractiousrecalcitrantOpposite obedientSimilar disobedient

Related words recalcitrance noun

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Re·frac′to·ry (-r?), adjective

Origin: L. refractorius, fr. refringere: cf. F. refractaire. See Refract.

1. Obstinate in disobedience; contumacious; stubborn; unmanageable; as, a refractory child; a refractory beast.

Raging appetites that are Most disobedient and refractory.— William Shakespeare

2. Resisting ordinary treatment; difficult of fusion, reduction, or the like; — said especially of metals and the like, which do not readily yield to heat, or to the hammer; as, a refractory ore.

Synonyms: Perverse; contumacious; unruly; stubborn; obstinate; unyielding; ungovernable; unmanageable.

Re·frac′to·ry noun

1. A refractory person. Bp. Joseph Hall

2. Refractoriness. obsolete Jer. TAylor.

3. OPottery) A piece of ware covered with a vaporable flux and placed in a kiln, to communicate a glaze to the other articles. Knight, Edward Henry

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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