refractory
n.n. a substance that does not react with another substance or does not follow a normal pattern. In medicine, it describes a condition that does not respond to standard treatment.
n. a substance that does not undergo a chemical reaction or does not conform to a standard pattern. In a medical context, it refers to a condition or patient that fails to respond to a standard therapeutic intervention.
The doctor tried a new medicine for the refractory condition.
After several rounds of standard chemotherapy, the patient was diagnosed with a refractory form of the disease that required a more aggressive approach.
The study focused on refractory cases where conventional antibiotics failed to clear the infection, suggesting that the bacteria had developed a unique resistance mechanism not seen in other strains.
From Latin refractārius (“obstinate”), from refractus, past participle of refringere (“to break up”). Originally refractary, refractarie, but reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory.