refractory
Won't yield easily
Refractory describes something stubbornly resistant to treatment, control, or cure.
A refractory patient doesn't respond to standard therapy; a refractory child refuses to obey.
In technical contexts, refractory materials resist high temperatures—furnace linings and crucibles are made of refractory brick or ceramic.
The word suggests not just resistance but obstinate, unyielding resistance: The infection proved refractory to antibiotics.
Refusing to change course
- obstinateFirmly refusing to yield
- intractableImpossible to manage
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- unmanageableImpossible to control
obdurate · unyielding · willful · headstrong · uncooperative · contrary · rebellious · defiant
Oven for hardening clay
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- glazeThin lustrous coating
- firingTerminating employment
- brickFired clay building unit
tiles · crucible · porcelain · stoneware · earthenware · alumina · silica · fireclay
Withstanding external forces
- unresponsiveFailing to react or reply
- intractableImpossible to manage
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
- chronicPersisting over time
relapsing · remission · therapy · drug-resistant · seizure · epilepsy · hypertension · depression
Slow to catch flame
- flame-retardantInhibits ignition and burning
- noncombustibleUnable to catch fire
- incombustibleUnable to catch fire
- heat-resistantUnaffected by high temperatures
firebrick · insulation · fiberglass · intumescent · firewall · firestop · asbestos · ablative
stubborn
Refusing to change course
- obstinateFirmly refusing to yield
- intractableImpossible to manage
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
unmanageable · obdurate · unyielding · willful · headstrong · uncooperative · contrary · rebellious · defiant · disobedient
kiln
Oven for hardening clay
brick · tiles · crucible · porcelain · stoneware · earthenware · alumina · silica · fireclay · kaolin
resistant
Withstanding external forces
- unresponsiveFailing to react or reply
- intractableImpossible to manage
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
chronic · relapsing · remission · therapy · drug-resistant · seizure · epilepsy · hypertension · depression · arrhythmia
fire-resistant
Slow to catch flame
- flame-retardantInhibits ignition and burning
- noncombustibleUnable to catch fire
- incombustibleUnable to catch fire
heat-resistant · firebrick · insulation · fiberglass · intumescent · firewall · firestop · asbestos · ablative · high-temperature
furnace
Enclosed heat-producing structure
molten · slag · blast · lining · hearth · ladle · tapping · casting · ingot · flux
- misbehaviormisbehave, misbehavior, mischief, misconduct, naughty
- medical termsdiagnosis, disorder, surgery, disease, illness
- steelmakingblast furnace, molten steel, steel production, basic oxygen furnace, steel mills
- chimneysflue, chimney liner, chimney cap, chimney stack, chimney sweep
- medical adjectivessurgical, cardiac, orthopedic, malignant, respiratory
- medical descriptorsacute, chronic, mild, moderate, severe
- refractory periodInterval blocking repeated activation