Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 19, 2018 is: linchpin \LINCH-pin\ noun 1 : a locking pin inserted crosswise (as through the end of an axle or shaft) 2 : one that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit Examples: Investors are betting that the new product line will be the linchpin that secures the company's place in the very competitive market in the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 18, 2018 is: de rigueur \duh-ree-GUR\ adjective : prescribed or required by fashion, etiquette, or custom : proper Examples: "[Emma] Stone, who patiently smiled through the de rigueur photo shoot in front of a backdrop emblazoned with the logos of the festival and its sponsors, should be extra light on her feet these days after singing and dancing with...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 17, 2018 is: acceptation \ak-sep-TAY-shun\ noun 1 : acceptance; especially : favorable reception or approval 2 : a generally accepted meaning of a word or understanding of a concept Examples: "About 40 fine arts students filled out a two-page application to be a part of the project, Rodriguez said.... Some have done commissioned work and sold their art...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 16, 2018 is: nary \NAIR-ee\ adjective : not any : not one Examples: "I must have it back as I have nary other copy." — Flannery O'Connor, letter, 1961 "Under harsh fluorescent hangar lights that would make even a brand-new Mercedes appear to have been painted with a broom, Symmetry reveals nary ripple nor flaw." — Stephan Wilkinson, Popular Science, Ma...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2018 is: tergiversation \ter-jiv-er-SAY-shun\ noun 1 : evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation 2 : desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith Examples: "Two chapters stand out. One covers the grinding combat in southern Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, where the horrific daily reality for fighting soldiers is nicel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2018 is: crapulous \KRAP-yuh-lus\ adjective 1 : marked by intemperance especially in eating or drinking 2 : sick from excessive indulgence in liquor Examples: "Helena she was called. She was Czech. I, on the other hand, was crapulous and reeked strongly—even to myself—of the odours of the tavern." — Jeremy Clarke, The Spectator, 24 May 2008 "Your f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2018 is: quip \KWIP\ noun 1 a : a clever usually taunting remark : gibe b : a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment 2 : quibble, equivocation 3 : something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity Examples: To almost every comment I made, Adam responded with a quip and a smile. "The cancellation of the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 12, 2018 is: emblazon \im-BLAY-zun\ verb 1 a : to inscribe or adorn with or as if with heraldic bearings or devices b : to inscribe (something, such as heraldic bearings) on a surface   2 : celebrate, extol Examples: Outside the stadium in the hours before the game, thousands of fans wearing shirts and hats emblazoned with the hometown team's...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 11, 2018 is: by and large \BYE-und-LAHRJ\ adverb : on the whole : in general Examples: "Studies have shown that, by and large, when hospitals lose financial resources, they make cuts that could harm some patients." — Austin Frakt, The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2018 "The action is, by and large, wordless (a TV set provides the occasional scrolling quote),...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 10, 2018 is: Luddite \LUH-dyte\ noun : one of a group of early 19th-century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change Examples: Responding to an interview question in Parade, July 2008, actress/screenwriter Emma Thompson jested, "I'm a Luddite, and I write longhand wit...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 9, 2018 is: ambivalent \am-BIV-uh-lunt\ adjective : having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something : characterized by ambivalence Examples: Bianca was ambivalent about starting her first year away at college—excited for the new opportunities that awaited but sad to leave her friends and family back home. "A new...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 8, 2018 is: Occident \AHK-suh-dunt\ noun : regions or countries lying to the west of a specified or implied point of orientation Examples: "… [We] begin in Jerusalem and skip to Istanbul, from where the Orient Express sets off on its long and winding route to the grayer delights of the Occident." — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2017 "Look up Ta...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 7, 2018 is: scintillate \SIN-tuh-layt\ verb 1 : to emit sparks : spark 2 : to emit quick flashes as if throwing off sparks : sparkle 3 : to throw off as a spark or as sparkling flashes Examples: The critics praised Doreen's performance in the play, declaring that she took a rather mundane script and made it scintillate with wit and excitement. "Stephen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 6, 2018 is: gloaming \GLOH-ming\ noun : twilight, dusk Examples: "It was in the gloaming at Duke University in late fall of 1966. There was a wet chill in the air, most of the trees were leafless, and a low cloud cover added to the gloom. " — Bob Williams, The Chronicle (Duke University), 20 Aug. 2018 "Afterward, we meandered up Lincoln Way in the gloa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 5, 2018 is: peripeteia \pair-uh-puh-TEE-uh\ noun : a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation especially in a literary work Examples: The novel is populated by a number of secondary characters, each of whom plays a crucial role in the protagonist's peripeteia. "Before ever writing Chapter one, he will write synopsis after synopsis, f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 4, 2018 is: intestine \in-TESS-tin\ adjective : internal; specifically : of or relating to the internal affairs of a state or country Examples: News reports of intestine disagreements between the country's two most powerful political factions led to murmurings that the country was on the precipice of civil war. "Never, during the whole existence of the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 3, 2018 is: weltschmerz \VELT-shmairts\ noun 1 often capitalized Weltschmerz : mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state 2 often capitalized Weltschmerz : a mood of sentimental sadness Examples: Carson found himself plunging into a state of Weltschmerz as he grew older and discovered that the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 2, 2018 is: cloister \KLOY-ster\ verb 1 : to seclude from the world in or as if in a cloister 2 : to surround with a cloister Examples: "They share a desire to let their daughters have a normal childhood. Even as [Nicole] Kidman refuses to discuss them in detail ('Sunday jumps on things if she hears someone at school talking about something I said'), s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 1, 2018 is: manifesto \man-uh-FESS-toh\ noun : a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer Examples: "Mr. Eddie Lampert, the chairman of Sears Holdings and mastermind of the Kmart/Sears merger … famously published a 15-page manifesto in 2009 which covered everything from the economic meltdown to civil libertie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 30, 2018 is: rodomontade \rah-duh-mun-TAYD\ noun 1 : a bragging speech 2 : vain boasting or bluster : rant Examples: "In the hands of the Philadelphia Artists' Collective, Maria Marten, or, Murder in the Red Barn becomes a rowdy lark full of rodomontade and dastardly deeds. Directed by Charlotte Northeast with gusto and goofiness, this is both a 19th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 29, 2018 is: nocuous \NAH-kyuh-wus\ adjective : harmful Examples The factory owners have said that they will upgrade the plant to comply with new regulations on nocuous emissions. "Late summer means giving way to fall's colors. But one color that doesn't make everyone's favorite list is a layer of bright green floating on top of your favorite creek,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 28, 2018 is: trousseau \TROO-soh\ noun : the personal possessions of a bride usually including clothes, accessories, and household linens and wares Examples: I am fortunate to be in possession of various family heirlooms, including several items from my great-grandmother's trousseau. "Sifting through these abandoned papers … one gets the sense of a c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 27, 2018 is: orotund \OR-uh-tund\ adjective 1 : marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous 2 : excessively elevated or inflated : pompous, bombastic Examples: "'This time, it's personal.' Yeah, yeah, you've no doubt heard that orotund threat before in movie trailers for the newest sequel to some action revenge movie starring Charle...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2018 is: habiliment \huh-BIL-uh-munt\ noun 1 plural : characteristic apparatus : trappings 2 a : the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion — usually used in plural b : clothes — usually used in plural Examples: "My riches are these poor habiliments, / Of which if you should here disfurnish me, / You take the sum and substance that I h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 25, 2018 is: secrete \sih-KREET\ verb 1 : to deposit or conceal in a hiding place 2 : to appropriate secretly : abstract Examples: The squirrel had secreted nuts all over the yard in preparation for winter, and as spring approached, more were still to be found. "Then he allegedly sneaked the cash into a truck, moved the truck outside and covered the...