This week we continue our vocabulary-building series, “The Closing Word.” Each week we provide a new word to help build your vocabulary and show you how to specifically implement it in business. A well-spoken, intelligent agent inspires confidence with clients and colleagues alike.
This week’s closing word: refractory
Pronounced: (ri-FRAK-tuhr-ree)
adjective:
1. Hard to manage; stubborn.
2. Resistant to usual methods or treatment.
3. Difficult to fuse: resistant to high temperature.
noun:
A heat-resistant material.
Synonyms:
obstinate – stubborn – pertinacious – recalcitrant
Examples:
Adjective usage: “The neighbors were quite refractory, and only after repeated requests did they have the rusted-out car removed from their front yard.”
Noun usage: “The old brownstone kitchen didn’t have any refractory between the stove and the wall, and we discovered evidence of heat damage there.”
