adj.
formal - stubborn or unmanageable.
- resistant to a process or stimulus.
▸Medicine not yielding to treatment.
▸technical heat-resistant; hard to melt or fuse.
n.
(pl. refractories)
technical a heat-resistant substance.
Derivative
Etymology
C17: alt. of obs. refractary, from L. refractarius ‘stubborn’ (see also refract).
