Definitions for refractoryrɪˈfræk tə ri

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word refractory

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

re•frac•to•ryrɪˈfræk tə ri(adj.; n.)(pl.)-ries.

  1. (adj.)hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient:

    a refractory child.

  2. resisting ordinary methods of treatment.


    Category: Metallurgy

  4. (n.)a material that retains its shape and composition even when heated to extreme temperatures.

    Category: Metallurgy, Chemistry

  5. refractories, bricks of various shapes used in lining furnaces.

Origin of refractory:

1600–10; var. of refractary < L refrāctārius stubborn

Princeton's WordNet

  1. furnace lining, refractory(adj)


  2. refractory, stubborn(adj)

    not responding to treatment


  3. refractory(adj)

    temporarily unresponsive or not fully responsive to nervous or sexual stimuli

    "the refractory period of a muscle fiber"

  4. fractious, refractory, recalcitrant(adj)

    stubbornly resistant to authority or control



  1. refractory(Noun)

    A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.

  2. refractory(Adjective)

    Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.

  3. refractory(Adjective)

    Not affected by great heat.

  4. refractory(Adjective)

    Difficult to treat.

  5. refractory(Adjective)

    Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.

  6. Origin: From refractarius, from refractus, past participle of refringere. Originally refractary reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory

Webster Dictionary

  1. Refractory(adj)


  2. Refractory(adj)


  3. Refractory(noun)

    a refractory person

  4. Refractory(noun)


  5. Refractory(noun)



  1. Refractory

    A refractory material is one that retains its strength at high temperatures. ASTM C71 defines refractories as "non-metallic materials having those chemical and physical properties that make them applicable for structures, or as components of systems, that are exposed to environments above 1,000 °F". Refractory materials are used in linings for furnaces, kilns, incinerators and reactors. They are also used to make crucibles.


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