Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2019 is: cogent \KOH-junt\ adjective 1 a : appealing forcibly to the mind or reason : convincing b : pertinent , relevant 2 : having power to compel or constrain Examples: At the town meeting, citizens presented many cogent arguments in support of building a new senior center. "The council made the difficult decision to raise property taxes by a total...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2019 is: gnomic \NOH-mik\ adjective 1 : characterized by aphorism 2 : given to the composition of aphoristic writing Examples: "That narrative power is real, as in the case of Shireen, but it came not from having a story but from telling it and persuading others of its truth. And we didn't see a trace of that in Bran's ascension. He generally fails to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2019 is: speculate \SPEK-yuh-layt\ verb 1 a : to meditate on or ponder a subject : reflect b : to review something idly or casually and often inconclusively 2 : to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations 3 : to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence : theor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2019 is: provender \PRAH-vun-der\ noun 1 : dry food for domestic animals : feed 2 : food , victuals Examples: The restaurant's chef-owner prides himself on creating dishes from local provender . "While these fish with their underslung mouths will eat insects, crayfish, mollusks, and other provender , a garden worm or piece of nightcrawler on the hook...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2019 is: auxiliary \awg-ZILL-yuh-ree\ adjective 1 a : offering or providing help b : functioning in a subsidiary capacity 2 of a verb : accompanying another verb and typically expressing person, number, mood , or tense 3 a : supplementary b : constituting a reserve 4 of a boat : equipped with sails and a supplementary inboard engine Examples: "And mea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2019 is: nosegay \NOHZ-gay\ noun : a small bunch of flowers : posy Examples: On arrival, the Queen was presented with her traditional nosegay of fresh spring flowers…. — Robert Hardman, The Daily Mail (London), 19 Apr. 2019 "Many of the boys also were ordering nosegays or wrist corsages for their dates. 'I just had a group of three boys coming in with...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2019 is: embezzle \im-BEZZ-ul\ verb : to appropriate (something, such as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use Examples: The company's senior accounts manager embezzled thousands of dollars from her employer by way of a loophole in the accounting procedures. "A 43-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to six years in federa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2019 is: torrid \TOR-id\ adjective 1 a : parched with heat especially of the sun : hot b : giving off intense heat : scorching 2 : ardent , passionate Examples: "There are tales of torrid love affairs…." — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut , 31 May 2019 "Scotch is my daily drink of choice…. But when summer hits New York hard, I occasionally get something lig...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2019 is: See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2019 is: ostentatious /ah-stun-TAY-shus/ adjective : attracting or seeking to attract attention, admiration, or envy often by gaudiness or obviousness : overly elaborate or conspicuous : characterized by, fond of, or evincing ostentation Examples: Since striking it rich, Edwin has embraced a more ostentatious lifestyle, wearing expensive designer clot...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2019 is: lionize /LYE-uh-nyze/ verb : to treat as an object of great interest or importance Examples: While her name was not attached to her books in her lifetime (she published anonymously), Jane Austen continues two centuries hence to be lionized as one of the English language's greatest novelists. "The battle for Pointe du Hoc became one of the mos...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2019 is: flair \FLAIR\ noun 1 : a skill or instinctive ability to appreciate or make good use of something : talent ; also : inclination , tendency 2 : a uniquely attractive quality : style Examples: "Chef Rohan is proficient in handling specialty restaurants and has a flair for culinary art trends." — Business World , 1 Apr. 2019 "It's rare for a pop...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2019 is: metathesis \muh-TATH-uh-sis\ noun : a change of place or condition: such as a : transposition of two phonemes in a word b : a chemical reaction in which different kinds of molecules exchange parts to form other kinds of molecules Examples: The study examined metathesis in the speech of children between the ages of three and six. "'Aks' and 'as...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2019 is: churlish \CHUR-lish\ adjective 1 : of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl  : vulgar 2 : marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : surly 3 : difficult to work with or deal with : intractable Examples: "After welcoming me to my upstairs suite, Doug announces that it's time for guests to enjoy a complimentary mint julep and cheese...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2019 is: planet \PLAN-ut\ noun 1 a (1) : any of the large bodies that revolve around the sun in the solar system (2) : a similar body associated with another star b : earth —usually used with the c : any of the seven celestial bodies sun, moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn that in ancient belief have motions of their own among the fixed st...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2019 is: inkhorn \INK-horn\ adjective : ostentatiously learned : pedantic Examples: Richard's use of inkhorn terminology in his essay didn't impress his professor, whereas simple language demonstrating a clear understanding of the material would have done the trick. " Inkhorn terms understandably struck many of their readers as incomprehensible, verbal...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2019 is: girandole \JEER-un-dohl\ noun 1 : a radiating and showy composition (such as a cluster of skyrockets fired together) 2 : an ornamental branched candlestick 3 : a pendant earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece Examples: "The centerpiece of the decorative program was the figure of Eternity seated on a triumphal chariot...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2019 is: sedulous \SEJ-uh-lus\ adjective 1 : involving or accomplished with careful perseverance 2 : diligent in application or pursuit Examples: "To start: a black screen, her name in white. As the overture plays, the scene unfolds with sedulous magic—smoke and steam coil and unfurl, lightening the screen and darkening her name. A man with a lantern a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2019 is: burgeon \BER-jun\ verb 1 a : to send forth new growth (such as buds or branches) : sprout b : bloom 2 : to grow and expand rapidly : flourish Examples: The trout population in the stream has burgeoned since the town implemented its laws against overfishing . "Original plans called for Hollywood Studios to be an entertainment pavilion…. But as...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2019 is: afflatus \uh-FLAY-tus\ noun : a divine imparting of knowledge or power : inspiration Examples: "If one were to throw away the 300 cantatas , the 100-odd chorale preludes , the three oratorios , the passions , and the Mass (which would be the equivalent of destroying half of Shakespeare), still the other half would sustain Bach as a creature wh...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2019 is: plummy \PLUMM-ee\ adjective 1 a : full of plums b : choice , desirable 2 a : having a plum color b : rich and mellow often to the point of affectation Examples: "… meetings are spent in youthful yammering about art, music and poetry, in that plummy British way…." — Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post , 6 May 2019 "Tyrion survived because...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2019 is: hig-ul-dee-PIG-ul-dee \hig-ul-dee-PIG-ul-dee\ adverb : in a confused, disordered, or random manner Examples: Maya took a deep breath and began the daunting task of sorting through the hundreds of photos scattered higgledy-piggledy across the floor. "Indeed, the hallways of Geokon's offices are lined with metal filing cabinets, and workshops h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2019 is: volition \voh-LISH-un\ noun 1 : the power of choosing or determining : will 2 : an act of making a choice or decision; also : a choice or decision made Examples: "The rules of the universe created certain compulsions, as did the formal and structural conventions I'd put in motion. Slowly, without any volition from me…, the characters started...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2019 is: acquisitive \uh-KWIZ-uh-tiv\ adjective : strongly desirous of acquiring and possessing Examples: The game aims to teach middle schoolers to balance their acquisitive instincts with a consideration of what will benefit society as a whole. "[ Property , by Lionel Shriver, is a] collection of short fiction that becomes a catalog of the ways an a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2019 is: supersede \soo-per-SEED\ verb 1 a : to cause to be set aside b : to force out of use as inferior 2 : to take the place or position of 3 : to displace in favor of another Examples: "What may someday supersede Einstein's hypothesis is any genius' good guess. In the meantime, not only the theory of relativity but also Newton's laws , with all th...