1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
refractory players will be ejected from the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
given to resisting control or discipline by others
believing that rules are only for other people, he's been refractory virtually his entire life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refractory
While cannabinoids offer a potential alternative for refractory chronic pain, optimal use requires personalized dosing and further high-quality trials targeting specific pain subtypes.
—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2025
It is meant to treat only people with refractory myeloma.
—
Sarah Hudgens,
Health,
23 Sep. 2024
Similar to refractory bricks, firebricks can store heat or insulate, depending on what they’re made from.
—
New Atlas,
5 Aug. 2024
This current study extends the successful results previously published on the virus-free preparation of CD19-specific CAR T-cells against refractory B cell malignancies utilizing Applied DNA's Linea™ DNA.
—
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for refractory
Tribune Content Agency,
The Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2025
It is meant to treat only people with refractory myeloma.
—
Sarah Hudgens,
Health,
23 Sep. 2024
Similar to refractory bricks, firebricks can store heat or insulate, depending on what they’re made from.
—
New Atlas,
5 Aug. 2024
This current study extends the successful results previously published on the virus-free preparation of CD19-specific CAR T-cells against refractory B cell malignancies utilizing Applied DNA's Linea™ DNA.
—
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for refractory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refractory
Adjective
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This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.
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In 2000 at age 15, he was sent to live in Australia with a host family because his father thought Zhang was too rebellious to stay in China.
Adjective
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Dealing with stubborn dark spots?
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But when the adults decide to cancel Christmas and the magical star fades away, a stubborn little bird named Pikkuli sets off on a winter adventure with friends to find the Starlight Reindeer and bring back the light.
Adjective
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Starmer had previously vowed to stand in any formal Labour leadership race triggered by rebel lawmakers who feating a 2029 election wipeout sought to replace him.
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Many rebel groups are offshoots of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which had been fighting to overthrow the government since the 1960s and had been the country's largest guerrilla organization.
Adjective
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Part of the problem is that, outside of their tenants’ pleas, landlords face neither any real pressure nor any legal requirement to install shutters and ceiling fans; even owners who want to do so are thwarted by recalcitrant co-op boards or finicky historic-preservation reviews.
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The patron saint of the 2024 Democratic National Convention was Fannie Lou Hamer—recalcitrant sharecropper turned agitator and, like the Democratic presidential nominee, a black woman.
Adjective
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To a defiant Son, however, the party hasn’t even started.
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Terri Hupfer, draped in a Pride flag and a Giants’ issued Pride T-shirt, drove 90 minutes from her Delta home to join Tuesday’s pregame gathering, which was organized online and drew more media and police than defiant (or supportive) fans.
Adjective
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Even as the Vegas Golden Knights age out and the Oilers fade, the Sharks are undeniably perched to be an intractable problem for Vancouver in the Pacific over the course of the next decade (or more).
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That brief relief seemingly ignored an announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just a few days earlier, that could create more intractable trouble for businesses in the months ahead.
Adjective
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The cold water gasp reflex is completely involuntary and uncontrollable.
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This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.
Adjective
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And, for those with genuinely unmanageable debt, filing for bankruptcy offers a reset, though there are trade-offs to weigh.
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Today, people amass unmanageable debt simply to keep faith with a story that feels increasingly detached from their reality.
Cite this Entry
“Refractory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refractory. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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