Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2018 is: garrulous \GAIR-uh-lus\ adjective 1 : given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity : pointlessly or annoyingly talkative 2 : using or containing many and usually too many words : wordy Examples: Bob's garrulous and outgoing nature is a stark contrast to his brother's more retiring demeanor. "Travel impresses on the memory a kaleidoscope of d...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 21, 2018 is: raillery \RAIL-uh-ree\ noun 1 : good-natured ridicule : banter 2 : an instance of joking or ridicule : jest Examples: "Hardin rarely got angry at anyone. Fuzz was always trying to get his goat with some unprovoked raillery, but Hardin understood that was the point and couldn't even force himself to be riled." — Michael MacLeod, The Antioch Rev...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 20, 2018 is: besot \bih-SAHT\ verb 1 : infatuate 2 : to make dull or stupid; especially : to muddle with drunkenness Examples: "Anyone spending time watching Australian TV … must conclude that food and the cooking thereof besots our nation." — Garry Barker, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 26 June 2014 "They debauch the spirit of the ignorant and credulous...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 19, 2018 is: unfettered \un-FET-erd\ adjective : free, unrestrained Examples: The biographer has been given unfettered access to the family's collection of personal correspondence. "We are both deeply committed to facilitating the restoration and preservation of open and unfettered political dialogue." — Howard Dean and Newt Gingrich, The Chicago Daily Her...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2018 is: muliebrity \myoo-lee-EB-ruh-tee\ noun : the quality of being a woman : femininity Examples: Helene tried to convey to her daughter that muliebrity was best expressed not by dressing a certain way or conforming to others' expectations, but by being her own true, confident self. "Wonder Woman has flaws.… It succeeds in spite of them, and that is...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2018 is: winsome \WIN-sum\ adjective 1 : generally pleasing and engaging often because of a childlike charm and innocence   2 : cheerful, lighthearted Examples: "… the song's giddy piano licks and bass groove are so winsome and familiar, the whole thing's tough to place in any particular setting. Simply put, it's a pop song, in a very classic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2018 is: aggress \uh-GRESS\ verb : to make an attack : to act aggressively Examples: Certain indicators, such as irritability, can signify an animal's likelihood to aggress. "Under-socialized dogs are risks to their owners and to others because they can become frightened by everyday things, making them more likely to aggress or bite." — Dottie Nelson,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2018 is: layman \LAY-mun\ noun 1 : a person who is not a member of the clergy 2 : a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field Examples: The Nobel laureate's book is an introduction to astrophysics that, despite its depth and detail, remains accessible to the layman. "One of my favorite genres of Catholic l...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2018 is: transpire \tran-SPYRE\ verb 1 : to take place : go on, occur 2 a : to become known or apparent : develop b : to be revealed : come to light 3 : to give off vaporous material; specifically : to give off or exude watery vapor especially from the surfaces of leaves 4 : to pass in the form of a vapor from a living body 5 : to pass off or give pass...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2018 is: nascent \NASS-unt\ adjective : coming or having recently come into existence Examples: "At this point, the scholarly reexamination of the Bible met up with another movement, the nascent Protestant Reformation." — James L. Kugel, How to Read the Bible, 2007 "Bezos starts by upending the world of books with his start-up Amazon, using the nascent...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2018 is: collaborate \kuh-LAB-uh-rayt\ verb 1 : to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor 2 : to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force 3 : to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected Examples: "Everyone needs to k...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2018 is: otiose \OH-shee-ohss\ adjective 1 : producing no useful result : futile 2 : being at leisure : idle 3 : lacking use or effect : functionless Examples: "Ever since I was seven years old, I have been collecting books and articles on the Great Flood, hoping to write the full account myself. David McCullough's The Johnstown Flood (1968) was so bri...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2018 is: slumgullion \SLUM-gull-yun\ noun : a meat stew Examples: The slumgullion was hot, savory, and hearty, and on this rainy night we were all eager for seconds. "She rode up a small dirt hill to a grassy clearing bordered by cabins, where she got a glimpse of the rock, big enough to seat at least a dozen campers, where she and her scouts had cooke...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2018 is: jocose \joh-KOHSS\ adjective 1 : given to joking : merry 2 : characterized by joking : humorous Examples: "Mr. Battle has a pleasant, jocose style of public address, but Ms. Jamison's is without equal, exciting in rhythm and phrasing, hilarious in off-the-cuff remarks, generous in spirit." — Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2015 "H...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2018 is: menagerie \muh-NAJ-uh-ree\ noun 1 a : a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition b : a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition 2 : a varied mixture Examples: "Joe proved a quick country convert, taking ownership of the grounds and the growing menagerie, which now includes eight Icelandic sh...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2018 is: decimate \DESS-uh-mayt\ verb 1 : to select by lot and kill every tenth man of 2 : to exact a tax of 10 percent from 3 a : to reduce drastically especially in number b : to cause great destruction or harm to Examples: Budget cuts have decimated public services in many towns and cities throughout the state. "We must do everything we can to elimin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2018 is: remuneration \rih-myoo-nuh-RAY-shun\ noun : the act or fact of paying an equivalent to for a service, loss, or expense : recompense, pay Examples: The actor was offered a modest speaking fee by the host as remuneration for giving her speech at the awards ceremony. "Travelers who are bumped from an overbooked flight can seek remuneration—as can...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2018 is: agonistic \ag-uh-NISS-tik\ adjective 1 : of or relating to the athletic contests of ancient Greece 2 : argumentative 3 : striving for effect : strained 4 : of, relating to, or being aggressive or defensive social interaction (such as fighting, fleeing, or submitting) between individuals usually of the same species Examples: Artie Kopelman...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2018 is: flocculate \FLAH-kyuh-layt\ verb : to aggregate or coalesce into small lumps or loose clusters Examples: During fermentation, yeast cells flocculate and either rise to the top or sink to the bottom of the vat. "The polymer causes organics and dirt in the water to flocculate or collect together out of suspension." — Jill Pickett, The News-Enterp...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2018 is: beaucoup \BOH-koo\ adjective slang : great in quantity or amount : many, much Examples: "Atlanta has beaucoup amenities for visitors, from one of the world's largest aquariums, to headier destinations such as the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library." — Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta, 12 July 2017 "Two estranged sisters with beaucoup unresolved issu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2018 is: palindrome \PAL-un-drohm\ noun : a word, verse, or sentence (such as "Able was I ere I saw Elba") or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward Examples: The teacher asked the class if anyone could think of a single word palindrome with 7 letters. After a couple minutes, Mia raised her hand and said "repaper." "He went on t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2018 is: eventuate \ih-VEN-chuh-wayt\ verb : to come out finally : result, come about Examples: The accident eventuated from a cascade of mistakes that could easily have been prevented with better operator training. "Charles Dickens is at his best when he compares events in London and Paris during a period of revolution. While the historian may help us...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2018 is: chivalry \SHIV-ul-ree\ noun 1 : mounted men-at-arms 2 : gallant or distinguished gentlemen 3 : the system, spirit, or customs of medieval knighthood 4 : the qualities of the ideal knight : chivalrous conduct Examples: "Coutts was founded in 1692. Queen Anne, who reigned from 1702 to 1714, commissioned it to make ornate ceremonial chains and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2018 is: redolent \RED-uh-lunt\ adjective 1 : exuding fragrance : aromatic 2 a : full of a specified fragrance : scented b : evocative, suggestive Examples: "Middle Eastern food, redolent with spices, is one of the world's most popular cuisines, yet home cooks are often intimidated by the sheer number of ingredients many dishes call for." — Publisher...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2018 is: anathema \uh-NATH-uh-muh\ noun 1 a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority b : someone or something intensely disliked or loathed — usually used as a predicate nominative 2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication b : the denunciation of something as accursed c : a vigorou...