SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
refractory
adjective
Stubbornly resistant to control or an attempted remedy.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Resisting control
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topRefractory describes resistance to control or correction. Defiant suggests deliberate opposition, which is not implied for materials or conditions.
Resistant to remedy
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topIn this sense, refractory means not responding to an attempted remedy. Persistent describes duration and does not by itself establish treatment resistance.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See refractory in use
The refractory lock resisted every key in the caretaker's ring.
A refractory stain on the display cloth resisted repeated attempts at cleaning, creating a separate problem that the team could still investigate.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license