different between inflexible vs refractory

English

Etymology

From Middle French inflexible, from Latin inflexibilis. See also in- +? flexible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?fl?ks?bl?/

Adjective

inflexible (comparative more inflexible, superlative most inflexible)

1. Not flexible; not capable of bending or being bent.

   Synonyms: stiff, rigid, firm, unyielding

2. Not willing to change, e.g. one's opinion or habits.
3. Not able to be changed or adapted to circumstances.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:obstinate
• unflexible

Antonyms

• flexible

Related terms

• inflexibility
• inflexibleness
• inflexibly

Translations

References

• inflexible in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “inflexible”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin inflexiblis.

Adjective

inflexible (epicene, plural inflexibles)

1. inflexible

Antonyms

• flexible

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin inflexiblis.

Adjective

inflexible (masculine and feminine plural inflexibles)

1. inflexible

   Antonym: flexible

Derived terms

• inflexiblement

Related terms

• inflexibilitat

Further reading

• “inflexible” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “inflexible” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “inflexible” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “inflexible” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

in- +? flexible

Adjective

inflexible (plural inflexibles)

1. inflexible

Derived terms

• inflexiblement

Related terms

• inflexibilité

Further reading

• “inflexible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Alternative forms

• inflexíbel

Etymology

From Latin inflexiblis.

Adjective

inflexible m or f (plural inflexibles)

1. inflexible

Antonyms

• flexible, flexíbel

Derived terms

• inflexiblemente

Related terms

• inflexibilidade

Further reading

• “inflexible” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin inflexiblis.

Adjective

inflexible (plural inflexibles)

1. inflexible

   Antonym: flexible

Derived terms

• inflexiblemente

Related terms

• inflexibilidad

Further reading

• “inflexible” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

From Latin refract?rius (“obstinate”), from refractus, past participle of refringere (“to break up”). Originally refractary, refractarie, but reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /???f?æk.t??.i/
• Rhymes: -ækt??i

Adjective

refractory (comparative more refractory, superlative most refractory)

1. Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.

   Synonyms: (inanimates) contrary, fractious; see also Thesaurus:obstinate

   • 1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, Chapter 26,

     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 […]

   • 1913 Eleanor Porter: Pollyanna: Chapter 8:

     For five minutes Pollyanna worked swiftly, deftly, combing a refractory curl into fluffiness, perking up a drooping ruffle at the neck, or shaking a pillow into plumpness so that the head might have a better pose. Meanwhile the sick woman, frowning prodigiously, and openly scoffing at the whole procedure, was, in spite of herself, beginning to tingle with a feeling perilously near to excitement.

3. Not affected by great heat.

   Synonyms: heat-resistant, fireproof
4. (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,

5. (biology) Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.
   • 1959, Nobusada Ishiko and Werner R. Loewenstein, "Electrical output of a receptor membrane", 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 […] delivery of external stimuli […] delineates the pacemaker refractory period after the emission of a pacing stimulus and after the sensing of a spontaneous beat.

Derived terms

Related terms

• refractive
• refraction

Translations

Noun

refractory (plural refractories)

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

Translations

Further reading

• refractory at OneLook Dictionary Search