Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REFRACTORY

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explore the archives: Maybe it's just me, but because it reminds me of stubble, stubbed toes, and cigarette stubs, I hate the word stubborn. However, I love its colorful synonyms refractory, recal_____nt, and ob___ate. Can you recall those? Refractory literally means "breaking back," which is why it looks like fraction. Recal_____nt literally means "kicking back," and ob___ate literally means "hardened against." Such rich choices we have for the same basic idea. make your point with... "REFRACTORY" Think of a straw in a glass of water. Right at the water's surface, the straw appears to bend. There, the light is bent, or refracted. To refract something is to bend it, to change its course, or figuratively to alter it in some way. Refractory people and things are kind of like the bent light, or the apparently bent straw, because they break away from what's expected of them. To be refractory is to be stubborn, rebellious, and hard to manage. Pronunciation: "ree FRACK tuh ree" or "ruh FRACK tuh ree." Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a refractory thing" or "a refractory person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was refractory." or "He was refractory.") Other forms: refractorily; refract, refracted, refracting, refraction How to use it: Talk about refractory people and animals, refractory moods and manners and attitudes, refractory infections and illnesses, etc. Occasionally, to express that people or things are stubbornly resistant to other things, we'll say they're refractory to something: an outdated process grows refractory to change, a child becomes refractory to the effects of rewards, a certain disease is refractory to treatment. Lastly, a "refractory period" is an inactive period, or a time when something is unresponsive. But we don't hear that phrase too often outside of physiological or psychological contexts. examples: Her most refractory student was absent that day, giving her a sense of relief tinged with guilt. I think I've beaten back my cravings for junk food, but then they return, unpredictable and refractory. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "refractory" means when you can explain it without saying "obstinate" or "disobedient." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone does something stubborn), like a refractory (child or type of animal)." Example: "My toddler had planted herself solidly in the doorway, refusing to move, like a refractory cow." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Last month, we played with lines of poetry that included words we've studied together. From the previous issue: From T. S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock:"    "I should have been a pair of ragged claws     ______ing across the floors of silent seas." Definition: moving along with quick little steps. (Hint: starts with S.)  Answer: scuttling. Now, a new game for April: License Plate Words! You’ve spotted a cluster of three letters on a license plate. Keep all three letters together—don’t insert any letters between them—but add any letters you like to the left and/or right of the cluster to form words. For example, when you spot the cluster CKG, you can form BACKGROUND and BACKGAMMON (and all their related words, like BACKGROUNDER and BACKGAMMONING, for a total of 8 possible words). We’ll move from easy to hard clusters as the month goes on. (For the curious, you can generate a complete list of answers using a tool like this one.) Let's play! Try this today: If you spot the cluster NKE, you can use it to form 281 words. One is BANKER. Give yourself a minute or so. How many others can you think of? review today's word: 1. The opposite of REFRACTORY is A. COMPLIANT B. LITERARY C. HEATED 2. He _____ the refractory writing topic, unsure of how to _____. A. laughed at .. tell his professor he'd already done it B. wrestled with .. pin it down  C. squinted at .. illuminate it Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B