Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2019 is: garniture \GAHR-nih-cher\ noun 1 : embellishment , trimming 2 : a set of decorative objects (such as vases, urns, or clocks) Examples: "Above the fireplace: a scene of a cow jumping over the moon, in an elaborate gilt frame. On the mantle below, we see a clock…, flanked by garniture sturdy enough to be a murder weapon out of Agatha Christie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2019 is: smite \SMYTE\ verb 1 : to strike sharply or heavily especially with the hand or an implement held in the hand 2 a : to kill or severely injure by so striking b : to attack or afflict suddenly and injuriously 3 : to cause to strike 4 : to affect as if by striking 5 : captivate , take Examples: The cartoon's villain was, as tradition would ha...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2019 is: plaintive \PLAYN-tiv\ adjective : expressive of suffering or woe : melancholy Examples: "Dean Nicholson was pedaling up a hill in Bosnia … when he heard a plaintive meow. He looked over his shoulder. In the lambent December light, he saw a gray-and-white kitten chasing him up the incline." — Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Philadelphia Inquirer ,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2019 is: démarche \day-MARSH\ noun 1 a : a course of action : maneuver b : a diplomatic or political initiative or maneuver 2 : a petition or protest presented through diplomatic channels Examples: "On Feb. 23, less than a week after the U.S. démarche to the Cuban government, DeLaurentis accompanied two visiting U.S. senators … to see President Raúl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2019 is: balkanize \BAWL-kuh-nyze\ verb 1 : to break up (a region, a group, etc.) into smaller and often hostile units 2 : divide , compartmentalize Examples: "Tech companies and civil rights advocates warn that the increasing push by nations to create their own internet rules will Balkanize the internet and potentially lead to privacy violations an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2019 is: omnium-gatherum \ahm-nee-um-GA-thuh-rum\ noun : a miscellaneous collection (as of things or persons) Examples: "Muldoon's Picnic—the critically acclaimed omnium-gatherum of music, storytelling, poetry, and more—has become a staple of New York's cultural diet." — BroadwayWorld.com , 4 Sept. 2018 "In his diary, a small, haphazardly kept omnium...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2019 is: aggregate \AG-rih-gut\ noun 1 : a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another 2 : the whole sum or amount : sum total Examples: The university's various departments spent an aggregate of 1.2 million dollars in advertising last year. "Their bill would require companies that collect user data to tell consumers a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 7, 2019 is: ransack \RAN-sak\ verb 1 : to look through thoroughly in often a rough way 2 : to search through and steal from in a forceful and damaging way : plunder Examples: The kids had ransacked the cabinets looking for snacks, leaving not a chip or cracker uneaten. "Also in the spring, I bring the bird feeders inside the house to avoid tempting bear...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2019 is: totem \TOH-tum\ noun 1 a : an object (such as an animal or plant) serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry; also : a usually carved or painted representation of such an object b : a family or clan identified by a common totemic object 2 : one that serves as an emblem or revered symbol Examples: The De...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 5, 2019 is: passim \PASS-im\ adverb : in one place and another : here and there Examples: The old cookbooks that once belonged to Michael's grandmother had some of her own recipes and other annotations penciled on the pages passim . "Finally, may I say that I respect the views of those who have read and researched the same information as I, but reached...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 4, 2019 is: faze \FAYZ\ verb : to disturb the composure of : disconcert , daunt Examples: My grandfather was a stolid individual who was not easily fazed by life's troubles. "The heat didn't faze the crowd, though, as families swarmed up to Kirkbride Park to browse vendors and watch performances." — Johanna Armstrong, The Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 3, 2019 is: silly season \SIL-ee-SEE-zun\ noun 1 : a period (such as late summer) when the mass media often focus on trivial or frivolous matters for lack of major news stories 2 : a period marked by frivolous, outlandish, or illogical activity or behavior Examples: "The St. Louis Blues have claimed their first Stanley Cup, officially ending the 2018-19...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2019 is: clarion \KLAIR-ee-un\ adjective : brilliantly clear; also : loud and clear Examples: "The guitars take off like fighter planes and [Stef Chura] delivers a clarion , country-steeped vocal, somewhere between Kitty Wells and Kurt Cobain." — Megan Reynolds, Jezebel , 3 June 2019 "The commonest winter birds cheered me on: the chickadees and titmi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2019 is: luftmensch \LOOFT-mensh (the "OO" is as in "foot")\ noun : an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income Examples: "People like Luftmenschen , and they've liked them for a long time. The image of Thales , called the world's first philosopher, cannot be proven, but it's comforting to think that intellectuals have t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2019 is: importune \im-per-TOON\ verb 1 a : to press or urge with troublesome persistence b archaic : to request or beg for urgently 2 : annoy , trouble Examples: "[Sarah] Polk feigned neutrality or loyalty, depending on what suited her, and she successfully importuned Andrew Johnson, the military governor of Tennessee and then American president, to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2019 is: phalanx \FAY-lanks\ noun 1 : a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files; broadly : a body of troops in close array 2 : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate 3 a : a massed arrangement of persons, animals, or things b : an organized body of persons Examples: "Despite Beyoncé m...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 29, 2019 is: addlepated \AD-ul-pay-tud\ adjective 1 : being mixed up : confused 2 : eccentric Examples: "Her addlepated mind flitted butterflylike from one often unrelated subject to another." — Tessa Harris, The Anatomist's Apprentice , 2011 "[Nick Park's] best-known creations are the addlepated , cheese-loving inventor Wallace, and Gromit, his patient,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2019 is: evince \ih-VINSS\ verb 1 : to constitute outward evidence of 2 : to display clearly : reveal Examples: "Randall Park is solid, handsome, capable, and utterly charming—a leading man whose talents as sly foil to a larger, more outsized personality evinced by his performance in Fresh Off the Boat are given their full due here." — Megan Reynolds,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2019 is: bildungsroman \BIL-doonks-roh-mahn\ noun : a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character Examples: "It's a thoroughly contemporary bildungsroman in which the protagonist is the Vietnamese-born son of an illiterate and violence-prone single mother. He's living in the United States with her and his schizophrenic grandmo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2019 is: motley \MAHT-lee\ adjective 1 : variegated in color 2 : made up of many different people or things Examples: Many of the jesters at the medieval festival were dressed in a bright motley garb. "Geena Davis will guest star in the third season of 'GLOW,' the Netflix comedy series about a motley crew of female wrestlers." — Lillian Brown, The Bos...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2019 is: undergird \un-der-GERD\ verb 1 archaic : to make secure underneath 2 : to form the basis or foundation of : strengthen , support Examples: "The organ tones that undergirded much of her recent work suggested a secular version of the church nave . Here, the walls close in and we're transported somewhere deceptively plain, to what might be an af...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2019 is: hapless \HAP-lus\ adjective : having no luck : unfortunate Examples: "Whatever your view of Team USA's rout over Thailand or the way they celebrated every goal over that hapless opponent, the 13-0 opening victory fueled conversation and interest for Sunday's United States-Chile match." — Phil Rosenthal, The Chicago Tribune , 18 June 2019 "Dav...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2019 is: desideratum \dih-sid-uh-RAH-tum\ noun : something desired as essential Examples: "The strength of his class depended to some extent on sound money management—but depended to a much larger extent on marriages based cynically on the sorts of children likely to be produced. Healthy, charming, wise children were the desiderata ." — Kurt Vonnegut,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2019 is: whinge \WINJ\ verb British : to complain fretfully : whine Examples: "I was angry, I went home to my wife and I complained. I was whinging an Olympic level of whinging to Deb, my wife, and moaning about this person and that person." — Hugh Jackman, quoted in MailOnline , 4 June 2019 "For those who whinged that the Freddie Mercury biopic 'Bohe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2019 is: redaction \rih-DAK-shun\ noun 1 a : an act or instance of preparing something for publication b : an act or instance of obscuring or removing something from a document prior to publication or release 2 : a work that has been redacted : edition , version Examples: "The city released Craddock's emailed resignation, but redacted the send and rec...