re·frac·to·ry
ri-ˈfrak-t(ə-)rē 
1
: resisting control or authority : stubborn, unmanageable
2
a
: resistant to treatment or cure
a refractory lesion
b
: unresponsive to stimulus
c
: immune, insusceptible
after recovery they were refractory to infection
3
: difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out
especially
: capable of enduring high temperature
plural refractories
: a refractory person or thing
especially
: a heat-resisting ceramic material
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Refractory is from the Latin word refractarius. During the 17th century, it was sometimes spelled as refractary, but that spelling, though more in keeping with its Latin parent, had fallen out of use by the century's end. Refractarius, like refractory, is the result of a slight variation in spelling. It stems from the Latin verb refragari, meaning "to oppose."
Synonyms
Examples of refractory in a Sentence
Adjective
refractory players will be ejected from the game
believing that rules are only for other people, he's been refractory virtually his entire life
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Hudgens, Health, 23 Sep. 2024
Similar to refractory bricks, firebricks can store heat or insulate, depending on what they’re made from.
—New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2024
Rebecca Robbins, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2023
Dolastatin 10-based ADCs have been approved for treatment of different lymphomas and refractory bladder cancer.
—Brittany Edelmann, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for refractory 
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Adjective
It is meant to treat only people with refractory myeloma.
—Sarah Hudgens, Health, 23 Sep. 2024
Similar to refractory bricks, firebricks can store heat or insulate, depending on what they’re made from.
—New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2024
Noun
The drugs treat an autoimmune disease, thyroid eye disease, and an inflammatory condition, chronic refractory gout.
—Rebecca Robbins, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2023
Dolastatin 10-based ADCs have been approved for treatment of different lymphomas and refractory bladder cancer.
—Brittany Edelmann, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for refractory
Dictionary Entries Near refractory
Cite this Entry
“Refractory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refractory. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
refractory
adjective
re·frac·to·ry
ri-ˈfrak-t(ə-)rē
1
: resistant to treatment or cure
a refractory fulminant lesion
had disease that was extremely refractory to multiple intensive therapies—Michelle L. Bennett et al.
Michelle L. Bennett et al.2
: unresponsive to stimulus
the refractory period of a muscle fiber
3
: resistant or not responding to an infectious agent : immune
refractory to reinfection
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