Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2018 is: buttonhole \BUT-un-hohl\ verb : to detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of Examples: "Her colleagues remember [Shila] Kaur at the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, buttonholing senior health officials and patiently explaining to them why people thousands of miles away needed better access...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2018 is: taciturn \TASS-uh-tern\ adjective : temperamentally disinclined to talk Examples: "The waiter, previously friendly and good-humored, was tonight solemn and taciturn." — Taylor Stevens, The Informationist, 2011 "One was taciturn and steady; the other was volatile and virtuosic. When Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe met in the Wimbledon singles fi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2018 is: lodestar \LOHD-stahr\ noun : one that serves as an inspiration, model, or guide Examples: "Tisvilde, on Zealand's north coast, stands out as a lodestar for the city's creative set, ever since two of those historic hotels, the Helenkilde Badehotel and Tisvilde Strandhotel, were tastefully renovated a decade ago by the former Royal Danish Bal...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 27, 2018 is: rubric \ROO-brik\ noun 1 : an authoritative rule; especially : a rule for conduct of a liturgical service 2 : heading, title; also : class, category 3 : an explanatory or introductory commentary : gloss; specifically : an editorial interpolation 4 : an established rule, tradition, or custom 5 : a guide listing specific criteria for grading...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 26, 2018 is: puissant \PWISS-unt\ adjective : of great force or vigor : strong, powerful Examples: The article was written by one of the nation's most respected and puissant advocates for the rights of minorities. "When Elektra finally understands and calls out his name, the orchestra unleashed a berserk fury of sound, after which Goerke floated a seren...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2018 is: jaunty \JAWN-tee\ adjective : sprightly in manner or appearance : lively Examples: "Hitching his wistful voice and elegant violin to a jaunty tempo suggesting an Appalachian hoedown, Andrew Bird evokes a sense of restless longing on this album, his 12th." — Jon Young, Mother Jones, March/April 2012 "All this, Twain relates in a jaunty, firs...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 24, 2018 is: marshal \MAR-shul\ noun 1 a : a high official in the household of a medieval king, prince, or noble originally having charge of the cavalry but later usually in command of the military forces b : a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering 2 a : field marshal b : a general officer of the highest military rank 3 a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 23, 2018 is: oblige \uh-BLYJE\ verb 1 : to constrain by physical, moral, or legal force or by the exigencies of circumstance 2 a : to put in one's debt by a favor or service b : to do a favor for c : to do something as or as if as a favor Examples: "Bessie would rather have stayed, but she was obliged to go, because punctuality at meals was rigidly enfo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 22, 2018 is: exigent \EK-suh-junt\ adjective 1 : requiring immediate aid or action 2 : requiring or calling for much : demanding Examples: The patients were triaged so that exigent cases would be given immediate care. "I have argued that a warrant to seize the needle should allow the police to seize the haystack to search for the needle. But there's a c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 21, 2018 is: cerulean \suh-ROO-lee-un\ adjective : resembling the blue of the sky Examples: "The images in Nicolas Party's paintings are simple, vivid, inexplicably funny, and profoundly odd. He paints the face of a man in a brown hat with a large snail on top, against a background of cerulean blue." — Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, June 2018 "The new oceanfro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 20, 2018 is: satiety \suh-TYE-uh-tee\ noun 1 : the quality or state of being fed or gratified to or beyond capacity : surfeit, fullness 2 : the revulsion or disgust caused by overindulgence or excess Examples: "Yes, avocado is high in fat, but it's the good, monounsaturated kind that helps increase satiety so you feel full with fewer calories." — Georgi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 19, 2018 is: imperturbable \im-per-TER-buh-bul\ adjective : marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness : serene Examples: The imperturbable captain did not panic when the boat sailed into the path of a violent storm. "Synchronicity is no stranger to sports. Back in 2016, a clip of two synchronized swimmers, strutting toward the pool like cool,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 18, 2018 is: adulation \aj-uh-LAY-shun\ noun : excessive or slavish admiration or flattery Examples: "It's hard to imagine the safest environment being one where thousands of people are within feet of you and millions more are watching your every move. But that was the case with Tiger Woods. … When he played, he was wrapped in a blanket of admiration, a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17, 2018 is: thwart \THWORT\ verb 1 a : to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of b : to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle : contravene 2 : to pass through or across Examples: The baby howled when her mother thwarted her in her effort to crawl up the stairs. "… nearly 1,850 firefighters already working the blaze plan...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 16, 2018 is: volatile \VAH-luh-tul\ adjective 1 a : characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change b : unable to hold the attention fixed because of an inherent lightness or fickleness of disposition 2 a : tending to erupt into violence : explosive b : easily aroused c : lighthearted, lively 3 : readily vaporizable at a relatively low te...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 15, 2018 is: nonchalant \adjective\ nahn-shuh-LAHNT : having an air of easy unconcern or indifference Examples: "After the doors closed, the man … grabbed onto the train from the outside. And off he went, surfing through the subway tunnel while some commuters … rode unsuspecting inside, according to a video captured by another subway rider…. The video …...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2018 is: gaffer \GAF-er\ noun 1 : an old man — compare gammer 2 a British : foreman, overseer b British : employer 3 : a head glassblower 4 : a lighting electrician on a motion-picture or television set Examples: Before the first day of shooting, the gaffer spent several days setting up all the lights. "There were no gaffers or best boys or Foley ar...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2018 is: orgulous \OR-gyuh-lus\ adjective : proud Examples: The hotel manager tended to adopt an orgulous air with those guests who were not regular visitors and who might be unaware of the building's rich and storied history. "He astutely recognized that intimate relations with the orgulous Kennedys could only heighten his influence. Indeed, apart...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2018 is: lapidary \LAP-uh-dair-ee\ noun 1 : a cutter, polisher, or engraver of precious stones usually other than diamonds 2 : the art of cutting gems Examples: Lapidary is more of a science than an art: the cutter needs to be aware of the physical properties of the material before fashioning it. "Even before it was acquired by Harry Winston in 2013...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2018 is: circuitous \ser-KYOO-uh-tus\ adjective 1 : having a circular or winding course 2 : not being forthright or direct in language or action Examples: While either method will yield the correct answer, one is far less circuitous and therefore considered superior. "The path has been circuitous and turbulent, but Andersen is back on a football fie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2018 is: rash \RASH\ adjective : marked by or proceeding from undue haste or lack of deliberation or caution Examples: "I know you're upset about not getting a raise, but I think it would be rash to quit your job in protest," said Martha to her friend. "We were at the mall, and two of my boys were bored and asked to ride the escalator up to the seco...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2018 is: weald \WEELD\ noun 1 : a heavily wooded area : forest 2 : a wild or uncultivated usually upland region Examples: "With food, terroir remains the best term to define how variations in landscape and climate in a place give a region a certain identity. This is aired strikingly, with Toby Glanville's photographs of the estuary and marshes, weald...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2018 is: debunk \dee-BUNK\ verb : to expose the sham or falseness of Examples: "Illusionists and comedians Penn and Teller have made a career out of pulling back the curtain, whether to reveal the methods magicians employ in their tricks or to debunk pseudoscientific claptrap on their former television series." — Marc Mohan, The Oregonian, 7 Mar. 201...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 7, 2018 is: fungible \FUN-juh-bul\ adjective 1 : being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation 2 : interchangeable 3 : flexible Examples: "The good news—in one way of looking at it—is that Sears had significant fungible assets of decent value to raise cash and a mo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2018 is: mufti \MUFF-tee\ noun : ordinary dress as distinguished from that denoting an occupation or station; especially : civilian clothes when worn by a person in the armed forces Examples: "Norderval sings in a soaring, evocative line. Even in mufti, her performance, not as honed as it will be after another three weeks of rehearsals, is riveting."...