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refractory
adjective
- hard to manage; stubborn; obstinate: said of a person or animal
- resistant to heat; hard to melt or work: said of ores or metals
- not yielding to treatment, as a disease
- able to resist disease
noun pl. refractories
something refractory; specif., a heat-resistant material used in lining furnaces, etc.
Related Forms:
- refractorily adverb
- refractoriness noun
See refractory in American Heritage Dictionary 4
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