Standard Lemma guide

refractory

adj · noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ɹɪˈfɹæk.təɹ.i/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æktəɹi
  • CMU ARPABET: R AH0 F R AE1 K T ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

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

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not affected by great heat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heat-resistant, fireproof

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Resistant to treatment; not responding adequately to therapy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A plant or factory that produces such material.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness
  • a refractory child

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fractious, recalcitrant

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

temporarily unresponsive or not fully responsive to nervous or sexual stimuli

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the refractory period of a muscle fiber

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

not responding to treatment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a stubborn infection
  • a refractory case of acne
  • stubborn rust stains

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stubborn

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

lining consisting of material with a high melting point; used to line the inside walls of a furnace

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: furnace lining

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: lining, liner

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

92 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Amharic: ግትር (gətr) — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Bulgarian: непокорен (nepokoren) — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Bulgarian: непослушен (neposlušen) — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Catalan: refractari — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 倔強的 /倔强的 (juéjiàng de) — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Dutch: weerbarstig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Dutch: halsstarrig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Finnish: itsepintainen — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Finnish: itsepäinen — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Finnish: omapäinen — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • French: réfractaire — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: widerborstig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: widerspenstig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: störrisch — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: halsstarrig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: renitent — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: widersätzlich — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • German: aufsässig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Greek: ανυπότακτος (anypótaktos) — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Hungarian: makacs — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Hungarian: ellenszegülő — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Hungarian: ellenálló — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Hungarian: szembeszálló — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Ido: refraktara — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Italian: refrattario — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Italian: refrattaria — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Māori: tīhoihoi — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Māori: tīhoi — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Portuguese: refratário — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Serbo-Croatian: refrakteran — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Serbo-Croatian: tvrdokoran — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Spanish: refractario — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Swedish: motspänstig — obstinate; strongly opposed
  • Bulgarian: огнеупорен (ogneuporen) — not affected by great heat
  • Catalan: refractari — not affected by great heat
  • Chinese Mandarin: 耐火的 (nàihuǒ de) — not affected by great heat
  • Czech: žáruvzdorný — not affected by great heat
  • Dutch: vuurvast — not affected by great heat
  • Finnish: kuumuudenkestävä — not affected by great heat
  • Finnish: tulenkestävä — not affected by great heat
  • French: réfractaire — not affected by great heat
  • German: hitzebeständig — not affected by great heat
  • German: feuerbeständig — not affected by great heat
  • German: feuerfest — not affected by great heat
  • German: hitzefest — not affected by great heat
  • German: refraktär — not affected by great heat
  • German: widerstandsfähig — not affected by great heat
  • Greek: δύστηκτος (dýstiktos) — not affected by great heat
  • Greek: πυρίμαχος (pyrímachos) — not affected by great heat
  • Hungarian: hőálló — not affected by great heat
  • Hungarian: tűzálló — not affected by great heat
  • Ido: refraktara — not affected by great heat
  • Italian: refrattario — not affected by great heat
  • Portuguese: refratário — not affected by great heat
  • Russian: жаропрочный (žaropročnyj) — not affected by great heat
  • Russian: огнеупорный (ogneupornyj) — not affected by great heat
  • Serbo-Croatian: refrakteran — not affected by great heat
  • Serbo-Croatian: vatrootporan — not affected by great heat
  • Spanish: refractario — not affected by great heat
  • Bulgarian: трудно лечим (trudno lečim) — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 難治的 /难治的 (nánzhì de) — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Finnish: itsepintainen — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Finnish: refraktorinen — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Finnish: refraktaarinen — medicine: difficult to heal
  • French: réfractaire — medicine: difficult to heal
  • German: therapierefraktär — medicine: difficult to heal
  • German: nicht auf Therapie ansprechend — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Greek: ανθεκτικός (anthektikós) — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Greek: δυσίατος (dysíatos) — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Hungarian: nehezen kezelhető/gyógyítható — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Hungarian: refrakter — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Ido: refraktara — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Indonesian: refrakter — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Italian: refrattario — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Portuguese: refratário — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Serbo-Croatian: refrakteran — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Serbo-Croatian: tvrdokoran — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Spanish: refractario — medicine: difficult to heal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不應的 /不应的 (bùyìng de) — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: unbeeinflussbar — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: refraktär — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: passiv — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: unempfindlich — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: unempfänglich — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: reizunempfindlich — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • Serbo-Croatian: refrakteran — biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus
  • German: Feuerfestmaterial — material with a high melting point
  • German: feuerfestes Material — material with a high melting point
  • German: feuerfester Stoff — material with a high melting point
  • German: feuerfester Baustoff — material with a high melting point
  • Greek: πυρίμαχος (pyrímachos) — material with a high melting point
  • Italian: refrattario — material with a high melting point