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Refractory vs Indomitable - What's the difference?

refractory | indomitable |

As adjectives the difference between refractory and indomitable

is that refractory is obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something while indomitable is incapable of being subdued, overcome, or vanquished.

As a noun refractory

is a material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.

refractory

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
  • *
  • * 1836 , ,
    • Mr. Weller knocked at the door, and after a pretty long interval—occupied by the party without, in whistling a tune, and by the party within, in persuading a refractory flat candle to allow itself to be lighted
  • Not affected by great heat.
  • * '>citation
  • (medicine) Difficult to treat.
  • * 1949 , Albert Fields and John Hoesley, " Neck and Shoulder Pain", Calif. Med. , 70(6):478–482.,
    • Many of the vague and refractory cases of neck and shoulder pain and of migraine may be due to cervical disc disease.
  • * 1990 , H. A. Ring et al'', " Vigabatrin: rational treatment for chronic epilepsy", ''J. Neurol. Neurosurg.Psychiatry , 53(12):1051–1055,
    • In 33 adult patients with long standing refractory epilepsy on treatment with one or two standard anti-convulsant drugs,
  • (biology) Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.
  • * 1959 , Nobusada Ishiko and Werner R. Loewenstein, " Electrical output of a receptor membrane]", [[w:Science (journal), Science] , 1959, 130:1405-6,
    • The production of a generator potential leaves a refractory state in the receptor membrane
  • * 1970 , S.S. Barold et al'', " Chest wall stimulation in evaluation of patients with implanted ventricular-inhibited demand pacemakers", ''Br. Heart J. , 32(6):783–789,
    • The delineates the pacemaker refractory period after the emission of a pacing stimulus and after the sensing of a spontaneous beat.

    Synonyms

    * (obstinate) contrary (inanimates), fractious

    Derived terms

    * refractorily * refractoriness * refractory period

    Related terms

    * refractive * refraction

    Noun

    (refractories)
  • A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.

    • indomitable

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Incapable of being subdued, overcome, or vanquished.
  • * 1902 , , The Four Feathers , ch. 1:
    • Personal courage and an indomitable self-confidence were the chief, indeed the only, qualities which sprang to light in General Feversham.
  • * 1910 , , A Shepherd's Life , ch. 7:
    • But he was a youth of indomitable spirit, strong and agile as a wild cat.
  • * 2007 , , " When Betty Got Frank," Time , 31 March:
    • Nobody came on to the movie camera—wrapped it in a bear hug and wrestled it to submission—like Betty Hutton. They called this 40s singer-actress "the Blitzkrieg blond" . . . . [S]he was indomitable , unstoppable.

    Synonyms

    * impregnable, inexpugnable, insuperable, insurmountable, invincible, never-say-die, unbeatable, unconquerable, unsubduable, unsurmountable, unvanquishable