refractory

/ri-ˈfrak-t(ə-)rē/

alteration of refractary, from Latin refractarius, irregular from refragari to oppose, from re- + -fragari (as in suffragari to support with one's vote)

adjective

  1. resisting control or authority : stubborn, unmanageable

  2. resistant to treatment or cure

  3. unresponsive to stimulus

unruly ungovernable intractable refractory recalcitrant willful headstrong mean not submissive to government or control. unruly implies lack of discipline or incapacity for discipline and often connotes waywardness or turbulence of behavior. ungovernable implies either an escape from control or guidance or a state of being unsubdued and incapable of controlling oneself or being controlled by others.

noun

  1. a refractory person or thing; especially : a heat-resisting ceramic material

noun

  1. the brief period immediately following the response especially of a muscle or nerve before it recovers the capacity to make a second response —called also refractory phase