V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary
refractory
adjective
Definition: 1. stubbornly resistant to authority or control; 2. heat-resistant and difficult to melt, bond, or shape; 3. difficult to treat or unresponsive to treatment
Synonyms: stubborn, unmanageable, obstinate, intractable, untreatable, hard, heat-resistant
Antonyms: docile, obedient, manageable, meltable, treatable
Tips: Refractory is frequently used when discussing resistant disorders. Diseases are refractory when they don't improve with medication or other treatment. Children or animals are refractory when they are difficult to control. Refractory (hard and heat-resistant) materials are used in the making of furnaces or fireplaces. Think, hard and unmanageable. This is a good, high-brow term for a rebellious person.
Usage Examples:
Severe depression, the kind that is refractory and unresponsive to any medication, continues to baffle doctors. (untreatable, stubborn)
The refractory puppy frustrated even the most patient animal trainers at a number of obedience classes. (obstinate, intractable)
The refractory fat around my belly refuses to budge no matter how much I exercise. (stubborn)
The paints with which I decorate my ceramics are refractory and won't melt away in the kiln. (heat-resistant)
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