refractory

adj.

1. Obstinately resistant to authority or control. See synonyms at unruly.
2. Difficult to melt or work; resistant to heat: a refractory material such as silica.
3. Resistant to treatment: a refractory case of acne.

n., pl., -ries.

1. One that is refractory.
2. Material that has a high melting point.

[Alteration (influenced by adjectives in -ORY) of obsolete refractary, from Latin refrāctārius, from refrāctus, past participle of refringere, to break up. See refract.]

refractorily re·frac'to·ri·ly adv.
refractoriness re·frac'to·ri·ness n.

(ri-FRAK-tuhr-ree)

adjective
1. Hard to manage; stubborn.
2. Resistant to usual methods or treatment.
3. Difficult to fuse: resistant to high temperature.

noun
A heat-resistant material.

Etymology
From alteration of refractary, from Latin refractarius (stubborn), from refractus, past participle of refringere (to break up), from re- + frangere (to break)

Usage
"There is nothing so awful - whether a week's-worth of rain, a marital quarrel, a refractory child - that it cannot be resolved in the kitchen." — Keith Botsford; Season of Soups and Mellow Vegetableness; The Independent (London, UK); Nov 6, 1993.

"Though the Nobel laureate (William Faulkner) could often be indulgent with children, he was essentially a withdrawn and refractory man." — Michael Dirda; Mississippi in the Summer!; The Washington Post; Aug 11, 2002.

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refractory

For more information on refractory, visit Britannica.com.

One of a number of ceramic materials for use in high-temperature structures or equipment. The term high temperatures is somewhat indefinite but usually means above about 1830°F (1000°C), or temperatures at which, because of melting or oxidation, the common metals cannot be used. In some special high-temperature applications, the so-called refractory metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum are used. See also Ceramics.

The greatest use of refractories is in the steel industry, where they are used for construction of linings of equipment such as blast furnaces, hot stoves, and open-hearth furnaces. Other important uses of refractories are for cement kilns, glass tanks, nonferrous metallurgical furnaces, ceramic kilns, steam boilers, and paper plants. Special types of refractories are used in rockets, jets, and nuclear power plants. Many refractory materials, such as aluminum oxide and silicon carbide, are also very hard and are used as abrasives; some applications, for example, aircraft brake linings, make use of both characteristics.

Refractory materials are commonly grouped into (1) those containing mainly aluminosilicates; (2) those made predominantly of silica; (3) those made of magnesite, dolomite, or chrome ore, termed basic refractories (because of their chemical behavior); and (4) a miscellaneous category usually referred to as special refractories.

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adjective

Not submitting to discipline or control: disorderly, fractious, indocile, intractable, lawless, obstinate, obstreperous, recalcitrant, uncontrollable, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, untoward, wild. Idioms: out of line. See control/uncontrol, order/disorder, peace/conflict, resist/yield.

adj

Definition: obstinate
Antonyms: manageable, obedient

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(rē-frak′tər-ē)
adj

Pertaining to the ability to withstand the high temperatures used in certain dental laboratory procedures. See also cast, refractory.

refractory

A material, usually nonmetallic, used to withstand high temperatures.

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Applied to a medical condition that does not respond to treatment.

Not readily yielding to treatment.

• r. period — the period of depolarization and repolarization of the cell membrane after excitation; during the first portion (absolute refractory period), the nerve or muscle fiber cannot respond to a second stimulus, whereas during the relative refractory period, it can respond only to a strong stimulus.
• myocardial r. state — the myocardium is refractory to stimulation during the action potential period, excitability returning in the repolarization phase; initially there is a period of supernormality.

IN BRIEF: Resisting control or authority. Also: Capable of enduring high temperatures.

The refractory child changed her behavior when she suffered the consequences of her actions.

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Refractory

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - stædig, uregerlig, upåvirkelig, uimodtagelig
n. - modstandsdygtigt materiale, ildfast materiale

Nederlands (Dutch)
weerspannig, immuun, niet makkelijk te genezen, bestand tegen hoge temperaturen, (mv) materiaal bestand tegen hitte/corrosie

Français (French)
adj. - réfractaire (tous contextes)
n. - réfractaire

Deutsch (German)
adj. - störrisch, hartnäckig, hitzebeständig
n. - hitzebeständiges Metall

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ανυπότακτος, ατίθασος, ανυπάκουος, δύσκολος, επίμονος
n. - αλεξίπυρη ύλη

Italiano (Italian)
ricalcitrante, refrattario

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - refratário
n. - refratário (m)

Русский (Russian)
огнеупорный, тугоплавкий, упрямый

Español (Spanish)
adj. - refractario, obstinado
n. - persona obstinada, objeto refractario

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - motspänstig, svårarbetad
n. - kem o fys stabilt material

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
执拗的, 难治的, 有抵抗力的, 耐火的, 耐火物质, 倔强的人, 耐火砖

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 執拗的, 難治的, 有抵抗力的, 耐火的
n. - 耐火物質, 倔強的人, 耐火磚

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 난치의, 용해하기 어려운, 감당할 수 없는
n. - 내화 물질

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 手に負えない, 難治の, 不応の, 溶解しにくい, 耐火性の, 強情な
n. - 頑固な人, 耐火材

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) عنيد, مقاوم للعلاج, ذو مناعه (الاسم) مادة مقاومه للحرارة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮עקשן, מרדני, שקשה להתיכה (מתכת), קשה-ריפוי, מחוסן‬
n. - ‮עקשן, מרדני, שקשה להתיכה (מתכת), קשה-ריפוי, מחוסן, חומר בעל כושר התנגדות חזק לחום ולאיכול‬

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