Welcome to “Words to Learn”. This series is about sharing fabulous vocabulary words that are simply fun to know, whether you would like to enrich the way you speak or you want to have a broader vocabulary at your fingertips for your writing. I personally have both of those goals.
This is a participation series. As you'll see, a few of us have begun writing these posts, and you can too. It's about knowledge sharing.
Photo credit: Pixabay
Vocabulary is cool
I grew up with fairly intellectual parents, which was excellent for my blossoming love of books, theater and the arts. It also kindled my passion for language, which eventually helped me discover a love of writing. And yet it’s somehow easy for me to forget that improving vocabulary is a lifelong practice.
No one can ever know all the words!
So I launched this series a few weeks ago to continue adding to my own vocabulary and help others do the same. And, as I mentioned, anyone can join in! So far, participants in our little group include: @therosepatch, @caleblailmusik and myself, with sideline contributions from @multi4g who has thrown some of his favorite words my way. In fact, today’s word is one of his recommendations.
A "Words to learn" post should offer a combination of the word’s pronunciation, its definition, and some example sentences that demonstrate how to use it. If you come on along on this vocabulary adventure with us, simply follow that general format and add the #learnwords tag. (Note: dictionary.com and thesaurus.com are excellent resources.)
Posts in this series so far:
Inexorably -- @jayna
Shellacking -- @caleblailmusik
Flotsam -- @therosepatch
Ambivalent -- @jayna
Coruscate -- @therosepatch
Isn’t this fun? Okay, let’s move on to the word of the day.
The word recalcitrant
- Pronunciation: "ri-kal-si-truhnt"
- Definition: This is an adjective that means unruly, obstinate, or rebellious.
- How to use it: You can use this word to describe someone who is disobedient or is actively resisting authority.
- Another form of the word: Recalcitrant also acts as a noun; you can use it to describe a person--”a recalcitrant”--instead of that person’s behavior.
Photo credit: Pixabay
Example sentences:
The woman dragged her recalcitrant child from the candy store.
The school suspended the most recalcitrant students for disruptive behavior.
Note that a thing can be recalcitrant:
Once again, he shuffled the recalcitrant deck, then steadied his hands before the players seated at the table.
I was really glad that @multi4g suggested this word because I have always known it, but not well enough to use it. And in fact, I was never absolutely certain that you couldn’t use it to mean something like reluctant. But now I know!
Thank you for reading.
Are you a writer seeking community or help with your writing? If so, please check out The Writers' Block on Discord.
About me
- Re-introducing myself -- My updated Steemit intro.
My recent posts
- Beach weekend: A short story for BeachWednesday -- A short story for BeachWednesday illustrated with my travel photography.
- Getting to know you -- A 50-word short story based on a "zoo" prompt by @miniature-tiger.
- Write Club report: 7 writers, 16 weeks--you do the math -- Write Club update, and a note about goals.
- Nine Eleven -- A historical fiction piece for a contest entry by @jasonbu.
- The man in hiding -- A 50-word short story based on a "crime" prompt, by @miniature-tiger.
- Writing workshop volume 16: How to accept criticism on your fiction writing -- Writing workshop series.
- Words to learn: Ambivalent -- Vocabulary series.
- Mermaid dreams -- A 50-word short story based on a "wave" prompt by @miniature-tiger.
- Words to learn: Inexorably -- Vocabulary series.
- A role model Steemian -- Entry in @anomadsoul's role model challenge.
I learned this word as a teenager in the 80's when our Prime Minister got up in Parliament called another countries leader a recalcitrant so and so. It nearly caused a serious diplomatic situation, and the word stayed with me ever since.
That's my geeky anecdote for the day :)
@naquoya Are you from Australia by any chance?
I am indeed.
Awesome. I have relatives there. I found this word in the book "Tracks" by Robyn Davidson (aka the Camel Lady). She has a lot of interesting words in her language, that i haven't heared anywhere else. Was this kind of academic lingo back then? (In the sense of "from a higher educated background")
I couldn't tell you if it was purely academic back then. I could make an assumption based on the character of the Prime Minister who said it (snobby know it all persona) that it may have been the case. It was the first I had heard it, but that's not saying much, having been in a poorer Government High School at the time.
So is this word not in common use elsewhere?
I don't think so. At least i have never heard it anywhere else before. It's like the word "bamboozling" in India, that seems to be used more by them than anyone else. ;)
Where are you from? My relatives live in Melbourne. They are part of the greek community that was brought / invited after WW 2 to kickstart the economy. Somewhat like the italians in germany.
I'm from Melbourne. Most of my childhood friends were Greek. I lived in a predominantly Greek part of town. There is still a huge Greek population there.
What a great story, @naquoya! That’s a wonderfully geeky anecdote, that you remember the time and place you learned a word. I can remember where I was when I heard John Lennon died, but a word? Amazing!
See what happens when you release a wild word out into the world? Handle with care when doing these posts.
Yes, you never know what may come of these things! Jayna proceeds with caution.
Looks forward - but with trepidation - for Jayna's next word to be released.
Ooooh, fancy! It literally describes me! Imma go recalcitrate (verb version!!!) now 8) (i.e. cool guy emoji)
Love recalcitrant. I have NEVER used it in speaking (it's too easy to just say 'stubborn' and avoid listener confusion) but I use it in writing once in a while. Great word choice!
Thank you! Have you read A Gentleman in Moscow? That book totally inspires my writing. Towles goes no-holds-barred on sentence length and word usage, and yet it’s an incredibly readable, enjoyable book. That said, this is a bit of a non-sequitur because I don’t think he used the word “recalcitrant” in the book, but the point is a good writer can do so without it seeming contrived and pedantic. It’s just delicious!
I have not read it! Just grabbed an excerpt now to see what you mean. I love the verbosity, especially when it challenges the reader a bit. It takes some getting used to up front, that's all.
I listened to it on Audible. And then I listened to it again. The reader is top notch, which adds to the experience.
Oooh I like this! I can use this when my daughter is having her toddler temper tantrums. She's being recalcitrant, hehehehe. Thanks for the new word!
You’re welcome! And yes, I think that’s the beauty of adding words to your repertoire. You have new words to work with in common situations, and it almost makes those difficult ones more pleasant. And of course, as you’ve demonstrated, actually using them in context is a great way to embed them in your memory.
A word I love is "defenestrate". Dutch or Afrikaans speakers might be able to guess the meaning from it's similarity to the word "venster", which means "window".
That sounds like an awesome word, @monkeyharris. Are you going to write a "Words to learn" post and share the definition and some examples of how to use it? :-)
Sorry for the late reply. That's not really my thing :) An example could be: The teacher picked up the unruly student, opened the window, and defenestrated him into the thorny bush outside.
No worries! I will add the word to my collection of words to learn, and credit you with the suggestion and example when I write the post. Thank you!