Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2018 is: approbation \ap-ruh-BAY-shun\ noun 1 : commendation, praise 2 : an act of approving formally or officially Examples: "In 2001, I moved to Lima to study literature at a local university. I fell in with a group of art students—painters, illustrators, sculptors—and even after I'd quit attending classes I'd still visit them, spending long afte...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 7, 2018 is: sandbag \SAND-bag\ verb 1 : to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags 2 a : to hit or stun with or as if with a sandbag b : to treat unfairly or harshly c : to coerce by crude means d : to conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent especially in order to take advantage over : to hide the truth about oneself so as to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 6, 2018 is: dossier \DOSS-yay\ noun : a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject Examples: The agency maintains extensive dossiers on all of its employees and contractors. "The council overwhelmingly supported a resolution to set up an 'independent mechanism' that will collect and analyze evidence of the 'most serious interna...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 5, 2018 is: abandon \uh-BAN-dun\ noun : a thorough yielding to natural impulses; especially : enthusiasm, exuberance Examples: The winning photograph was of a dog bounding with abandon through a field of snow. "The drum solo has long been a concert punchline. Foo Fighters, in recognition of that, made Hawkins' solo as ridiculous and over the top...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 4, 2018 is: perspicacious \per-spuh-KAY-shus\ adjective : of acute mental vision or discernment : keen Examples: "Captivated by the breadth of its elegant façade—echoed in the grandeur of the interior spaces—the perspicacious owners enlisted their trusted decorator Jacques Grange … to collaborate on a sensitive renovation. — Angus Wilkie, Architectura...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 3, 2018 is: circumvent \ser-kum-VENT\ verb 1 : to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem 2 a : to hem in b : to make a circuit around Examples: A couple of clever students were able to circumvent the security protocols on the school's network and gain access to the database storing their grades. "… [P]artygoers stood patiently on an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2018 is: sciential \sye-EN-shul\ adjective 1 : relating to or producing knowledge or science 2 : having efficient knowledge : capable Examples: There was no apparent sciential reason for the birds to have migrated this far south. "The hidden treasures of science, St. Bonaventure tells us, can be discovered … in a knowledge of either the principles...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 1, 2018 is: mayhem \MAY-hem\ noun 1 a : willful and permanent deprivation of a bodily member resulting in the impairment of a person's fighting ability b : willful and permanent crippling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of the body 2 : needless or willful damage or violence Examples: "Joe is not your average Joe. He is a contract killer…. Th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2018 is: dram \DRAM\ noun 1 a : a unit of avoirdupois weight equal to 1/16 ounce b : a unit of apothecaries' weight equal to 1/8 ounce c : a unit of liquid capacity equal to 1/8 fluid ounce 2 a : a small portion of something to drink b : a small amount Examples: The two of them don't have a dram of sense between them, so I'm not surprised that the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 29, 2018 is: ritzy \RIT-see\ adjective 1 : being, characteristic of, or befitting a snob : snobbish 2 : impressively or ostentatiously fancy or stylish : fashionable, posh Examples: "Pop star Justin Timberlake … hosted a listening party for his new album at a ritzy Manhattan loft where catering was provided by René Redzepi's impossible-to-get-into Cop...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 28, 2018 is: betwixt \bih-TWIKST\ adverb or preposition : between Examples: "O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four times / seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt a benefit and / an injury, I never found man that knew how to love himself." — William Shakespeare, Othello, 1622 "Barry is a bit betwixt and between as a viewing ex...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2018 is: yahoo \YAH-hoo\ noun 1 capitalized Yahoo : a member of a race of brutes in Swift's Gulliver's Travels who have the form and all the vices of humans 2 : a boorish, crass, or stupid person Examples: The reputation the teenagers had for being a bunch of self-involved yahoos was belied by their courteous treatment of the stranded motorists. "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2018 is: quirk \KWERK\ verb : curve, twist Examples: "If you quirked your eyebrow at The Shape of Water's merman, your jaw probably dropped clean off when you realized that some viewers were, well, thirsty for the marine man." — Melissa Broder and Samantha Hunt, Elle, 14 Sept. 2018 "The video was of a laughing baby, and I felt the corners of my mo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 25, 2018 is: occlusion \uh-KLOO-zhun\ noun 1 : the act of occluding : the state of being occluded: such as a : the complete obstruction of the breath passage in the articulation of a speech sound b : the bringing of the opposing surfaces of the teeth of the two jaws into contact; also : the relation between the surfaces when in contact c : the inclusi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2018 is: audacious \aw-DAY-shus\ adjective 1 a : intrepidly daring : adventurous b : recklessly bold : rash 2 : contemptuous of law, religion, or decorum : insolent 3 : marked by originality and verve Examples: The band has been making original and creative music for well over ten years, but their latest album is by far their most audacious to dat...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2018 is: impromptu \im-PROMP-too\ adjective 1 : made, done, or formed on or as if on the spur of the moment : improvised 2 : composed or uttered without previous preparation : extemporaneous Examples: When we got word of Caitlin's good news, we threw an impromptu party to celebrate. "West capped off his curious musical guest gig, where he subbed f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2018 is: cornucopia \kor-nuh-KOH-pee-uh\ noun 1 : a curved, hollow goat's horn or similarly shaped receptacle (such as a horn-shaped basket) that is overflowing especially with fruit and vegetables (such as gourds, ears of corn, apples, and grapes) and that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance 2 : an inexhaustible store : abundanc...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2018 is: noisome \NOY-sum\ adjective 1 : noxious, harmful 2 a : offensive to the senses and especially to the sense of smell b : highly obnoxious or objectionable Examples: "The streets were narrow and very dirty, the air smoky and noisome, the people mostly wretched." — Ken Follett, The Man From St. Petersburg, 1982 "The last two newspaper office...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 20, 2018 is: perforce \per-FORSS\ adverb : by force of circumstances Examples: "All that frantic traveling was in lieu of any compelling reason to stay home, and those many, many friendships were perforce conducted at long distance." — Blake Bailey, The New York Times Book Review, 28 Dec. 2012 "But by making an opera about television—a source of enter...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 19, 2018 is: henchman \HENCH-mun\ noun 1 : a trusted follower : right-hand man 2 : a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage 3 : a member of a gang Examples: "The story follows the lives to two very different characters—Frank Guidry, a henchman_for one of New Orleans' most powerful and vicious gangsters, and Charlotte, a wom...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2018 is: chapel \CHAP-ul\ noun 1 : a subordinate or private place of worship 2 : a place of worship used by a Christian group other than an established church 3 : a choir of singers belonging to a chapel 4 : a chapel service or assembly at a school or college Examples: The school required all of its students to attend chapel daily. "The monastery...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2018 is: susurrous \soo-SUR-us\ adjective : full of whispering sounds Examples: As the vacationers slept, the only sound was the susurrous breeze blowing through the curtains of the open window. "Silence, more anticipatory than uncomfortable, replaced the susurrous swirl of conversation, that tentative tête-à-tête among those who may or may not be...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 16, 2018 is: exculpate \EK-skull-payt\ verb : to clear from alleged fault or guilt Examples: A false lead from an ancestry site is no different than eliminating suspects through regular detective work; except people are more easily exculpated." — Julie O'Connor, The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey), 13 May 2018 "But the longer and more often you misre...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2018 is: memento \muh-MEN-toh\ noun : something that serves to warn or remind; also : souvenir Examples: The box on the shelf in her closet is filled with mementos of Julie's basketball career—awards, newspaper clippings, team photographs, and her old uniform. "Old photos and other mementos from his father's time in the military covered the small...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 14, 2018 is: tomfoolery \tahm-FOO-luh-ree\ noun : playful or foolish behavior Examples: The antics in the play itself apparently inspired tomfoolery behind the scenes as well, as cast members reported a host of practical jokes including a few on opening night. "Presented as an oral history in a series of conversations between the couple, the book feat...