# refractory
## English
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (UK, US) IPA: /ɹɪˈfɹæk.təɹ.i/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Audio (General Australian):(file)
* Rhymes: -æktəɹi

### Adjective

refractory (comparative more refractory, superlative most refractory)
* Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
    Synonyms: (inanimates) contrary, fractious; see also Thesaurus:obstinate
** 1787, Alexander Hamilton, “No. 16”, in The Federalist, published 1863, page 103:[…] in most instances attempts to coerce the refractory and disobedient have been the signals of bloody wars, […]
** 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “Chapter 26”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC: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 […]
** 1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna‎, L.C. Page, →OCLC: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.
* Not affected by great heat.
    Synonyms: heat-resistant, fireproof
** 1855, Frederick Overman, A Treatise on Metallurgy‎, page 315:Pure lime is extremely refractory, but readily fusible if any silex is brought in contact with it; […]
* (medicine) Resistant to treatment; not responding adequately to therapy.
** 1949, Albert Fields, John Hoesley, “Neck and Shoulder Pain”, in Calif. Med., 70(6):478-482:Many of the vague and refractory cases of neck and shoulder pain and of migraine may be due to cervical disc disease.
** 1990, H. A. Ring et al., “Vigabatrin: rational treatment for chronic epilepsy”, in J. Neurol. Neurosurg.Psychiatry, 53(12):1051-1055:In 33 adult patients with long standing refractory epilepsy on treatment with one or two standard anti-convulsant drugs,
* (biology) Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.
** 1959, Nobusada Ishiko, Werner R. Loewenstein, “Electrical output of a receptor membrane”, in Science, 130:1405-6:The production of a generator potential leaves a refractory state in the receptor membrane […]
** 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 […] delivery of external stimuli […] delineates the pacemaker refractory period after the emission of a pacing stimulus and after the sensing of a spontaneous beat.

#### Derived terms

* electrorefractory
* psychological refractory period
* refractorily
* refractoriness
* refractory anaemia with excess blasts
* refractory metal
* refractory period
* refractory rhyme

#### Related terms

* refractive
* refraction

#### Translations
### Noun

refractory (plural refractories)
* A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.
* A plant or factory that produces such material.

#### Translations
### Further reading

* “refractory”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.