1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
refractory players will be ejected from the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
given to resisting control or discipline by others
believing that rules are only for other people, he's been refractory virtually his entire life
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refractory
Marinus Pharmaceuticals said an experimental treatment for refractory status epilepticus failed to meet early stopping criteria for a Phase 3 study.
—
Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Apr. 2024
All of the children had rare, relapsed or refractory cancers and were running out of treatment options.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Many of those patients were able to receive a potentially curative stem cell transplant later on, which is often the ultimate goal for patients with relapsed or refractory patients.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 13 Dec. 2023
Of these, the company said 10 million suffer from refractory chronic cough, 6 million of whom are based in the EU and the U.S., where there is no approved treatment.
—Robert Hart, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for refractory
Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Apr. 2024
All of the children had rare, relapsed or refractory cancers and were running out of treatment options.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Many of those patients were able to receive a potentially curative stem cell transplant later on, which is often the ultimate goal for patients with relapsed or refractory patients.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 13 Dec. 2023
Of these, the company said 10 million suffer from refractory chronic cough, 6 million of whom are based in the EU and the U.S., where there is no approved treatment.
—Robert Hart, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for refractory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refractory
Adjective
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But in 1862, Congress declared that any slave with a rebellious master who reached federal lines would be free.—
Barbara Spindel,
The Christian Science Monitor,
12 Mar. 2025
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Mickey, tasked with keeping her rebellious sister in line, never had the opportunity to be a kid.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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One daughter, loving but stubborn, leaves for Vilna to study nursing.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
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The true top is still stubborn, though: In 2023 women made up just over 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs, 9% of the FTSE CEOs, and 5.4% of CEOs of the S&P Global Broad Market Index.—
Kweilin Ellingrud,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The attacks started this week after reports emerged that Assad loyalists had ambushed and killed members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – the rebel group that spearheaded the rebellion that ousted the former Syrian leader.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
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The singer and the songwriter traversed the frontlines of the urban guerrilla war that had consumed the city of Homs by that point, with one half of the city overtaken by regime soldiers and the other half controlled by rebel groups.—
Jawad Rizkallah,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Bismarck had a reputation as a wily man who could potentially bring the recalcitrant Lower House to heel.—
Christine Adams / Made by History,
TIME,
13 Mar. 2025
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Still, this initial success against such a recalcitrant tumor has broader implications for using personalized mRNA vaccines to target other common tumors that have so far been resistant to other kinds of immunotherapy, Balachandran says.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Twin Cities,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Their bleeding champion — at the time a former and future president — raises a defiant fist.—
John Scott Lewinski,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
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After being yelled at, children often feel defiant, defensive, and disconnected from their parent.—
Daryl Austin,
Parents,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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An important part of the committee’s decision has to do with the way in which an intractable, traumatic, complex, and long-standing conflict is approached through the art of comedy.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2025
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Some things in a difficult job can be resolved or eased, while others will be intractable.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Joking was her version of uncontrollable tears, but Dr. Fenton neither laughed nor pressed to see what was behind Lilian’s inane laughter.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
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Separating benefits from employee health also allows businesses to escape uncontrollable, often double-digit, group plan renewals.—
Jack Hooper,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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National parks and forests lost essential personnel with many crews cut down to half, leaving critical tasks unmanageable.—
Dua Anjum,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2025
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Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon has rejected that idea as unmanageable.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refractory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refractory. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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