refractory
adjective
[ rɪˈfrakt(ə)ri ]
• stubborn or unmanageable.
• "his refractory pony"
Similar:
obstinate,
stubborn,
stubborn as a mule,
mulish,
bull-headed,
pig-headed,
obdurate,
headstrong,
self-willed,
wayward,
wilful,
perverse,
contrary,
recalcitrant,
obstreperous,
disobedient,
insubordinate,
rebellious,
mutinous,
defiant,
stiff-necked,
intractable,
intransigent,
unyielding,
unmalleable,
unmanageable,
ungovernable,
unpersuadable,
thrawn,
cussed,
bloody-minded,
bolshie,
stroppy,
balky,
contumacious,
froward,
contrarious,
• resistant to a process or stimulus.
• "some granules are refractory to secretory stimuli"
refractory
noun
• a substance that is resistant to heat.
Origin:
early 17th century: alteration of obsolete refractary, from Latin refractarius ‘stubborn’ (see also refract).
