Synonyms for refractory
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Recalcitrant — obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something
recalcitrant, intractable, stubborn, obstinate, disobedient, inflexible, tough, unyielding, restive, fractious, headstrong, wayward, insubordinate, obstreperous, factious, contrary, rebellious, self-willed, mutinous, seditious, defiant, unruly
2. Heat-resistant — not affected by great heat
Definitions
- adj. 1
Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
- adj. 2
Not affected by great heat.
Related words
- Word family
- refractoriness refractive refraction
Choose the right word
Refractory implies more activity of resistance; the stubborn horse balks; the refractory animal plunges, rears, and kicks; metals that resist ordinary processes of reduction are termed refractory.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- obstinate I've heard that Tom and Mary are quite obstinate.
- disobedient Disobedient boys can not be happy in this world.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| refractory | falling | |
| intractable | rising | |
| obstinate | steady | |
| disobedient | rising | |
| recalcitrant | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- tough1
- 6 letters
- unruly3
- 7 letters
- defiant3, wayward2, restive2
- 8 letters
- contrary3, stubborn2, mutinous3, factious
- 9 letters
- obstinate3, seditious3, fractious2
- 10 letters
- rebellious3, inflexible4, unyielding3, headstrong2
- 11 letters
- intractable4, disobedient5
- 12 letters
- recalcitrant4, obstreperous4
- 13 letters
- insubordinate5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (unruly3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- réfractaire
- Español
- rebelde
- Deutsch
- halsstarrig