adj. & n.
adj. 1 stubborn, unmanageable, rebellious. 2 a (of a wound, disease, etc.) not yielding to treatment. b (of a person etc.) resistant to infection. 3 (of a substance) hard to fuse or work.
n. (pl. -ies) a substance especially resistant to heat, corrosion, etc. refractorily adv. refractoriness n.
[ alt. of obs. refractary f. L refractarius (as REFRACT) ]