refractory
- 01 C2 Proficiency
adj.difficult to control and unwilling to obey rules.
adj.stubbornly resistant to authority or control; difficult to manage or discipline.
Simple“The refractory child refused to sit down even after the teacher asked him three times.”
In context“The committee struggled to reach a consensus due to a few refractory members who blocked every proposal on principle.”
UsageUsually describes people or their behaviour in formal writing.
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.describing a disease or medical condition that does not get better with normal treatment.
adj.resistant to treatment or stimulus; failing to respond adequately to therapeutic intervention.
Simple“The patient was diagnosed with a refractory form of the disease that did not respond to antibiotics.”
In context“Clinical trials are currently focusing on patients with refractory leukemia who have exhausted all standard chemotherapy options.”
UsageCommonly used in clinical reports to describe chronic or stubborn conditions.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.able to stay strong and not melt even at very high temperatures.
adj.capable of enduring high temperatures without fusing or decomposing.
Simple“The spacecraft was protected by a refractory shield that could survive the heat of re-entry.”
In context“Refractory metals like tungsten are essential for components that must operate in the extreme heat of jet engines.”
SynonymsheatprooffireproofAntonymsfusible - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a material, like a special brick, that can survive very high heat without melting.
n.a substance, such as a ceramic or brick, that is resistant to high temperatures and used to line furnaces.
Simple“The workers replaced the old refractories inside the glass-making furnace.”
In context“The efficiency of the blast furnace depends largely on the quality of the refractory used to line its interior walls.”
“The observations revealed that HD 129171 has a notably higher concentration of refractory elements, including iron, magnesium, silicon, calcium and titanium, compared with its companion, HD 129209.”
From Latin refractārius (“obstinate”), from refractus, past participle of refringere (“to break up”). Originally refractary, refractarie, but reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.