All 9 Uses
reflect
in
Educated, by Tara Westover
(Edited)
- I just sat in the police car next to Richard, wrapped in a reflective blanket like the one I had in my "head for the hills" bag.
p. 94.9reflective = having the characteristic of holding heat
- Reflecting on it now, I'm not sure the injury changed him that much, but I convinced myself that it had, and that any cruelty on his part was entirely new I can read my journals from this period and trace the evolution—of a young girl rewriting her history.
p. 131.8reflecting = thinking carefully
- I checked my rearview mirror to pull onto the highway, then reached up and shoved the mirror downward so it reflected Shawn's face, blank and bloodied.
p. 146.2reflected = showed (an image back of)
- He looked smaller in his office than he did in the lecture hall, and more shiny: the light above his desk reflected off his head and glasses.
p. 185.7 *reflected = shined back
- Reflecting on it now I'm amazed by it, not by what happened, but that I wrote what happened.
p. 196.9reflecting = thinking carefully
- Now, when I reflect on my mother's words, remembering the way they appeared as if by magic on the screen, one detail stands above the rest: that Mother described my father as bipolar.
p. 289.6 *reflect = think back
- Mother described my father as bipolar. It was the exact disorder that I myself suspected. It was my word, not hers. Then I wonder if perhaps my mother, who had always reflected so perfectly the will of my father, had that night merely been reflecting mine.
p. 289.8reflected = shined back (a mirror image) (figuratively)
- Mother described my father as bipolar. It was the exact disorder that I myself suspected. It was my word, not hers. Then I wonder if perhaps my mother, who had always reflected so perfectly the will of my father, had that night merely been reflecting mine.
p. 289.8 *reflecting = shining back (a mirror image) (figuratively)
- When I reflect on that moment now, the image blurs, reconstituting itself into that of a zealous knight astride a steed, charging into an imaginary battle, striking at shadows, hacking into thin air.
p. 300.7reflect = think carefully
Definitions:
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(1)
(reflect as in: reflect in the mirror) show an image back (on a mirror or other shiny surface)
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(2)
(reflect as in: reflect American Values) to show something -- such as to demonstrate, express, or representThe exact meaning of this sense of reflect depends upon its context. For example:
- "She says the immorality in the movie reflects American values." -- expresses or represents
- "It reflects the selfishness she had seen growing for years." -- demonstrates
- "She did not reflect the panic that surrounded her." -- demonstrate or show indication of
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(3)
(reflect as in: I want to reflect on it.) think carefully -- possibly aloud or in writing
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(4)
(reflect as in: reflect poorly on the school) influence opinionThis word is often used in a phrase like "reflect poorly on/upon...." Although we define this meaning of reflect as "influence opinion", the use of "upon" or "on" might feel more natural if you think of it as "casting a shade of good or bad upon/on" something.
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(5)
(reflect as in: reflect the light/heat/sound) bounce back (rather than absorbing)
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(6)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) See a comprehensive dictionary for less common meanings of reflect.