Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 09, 2017 is: denegation \den-ih-GAY-shun\ noun : denial Examples: "I sought to interrupt him with some not very truthful denegation; but he waved me down, and pursued his speech." — Robert Louis Stevenson, The Master of Ballantrae, 1889 "I see Horton say emphatically No…. His denegation is plausible; Gray believes it and accepts it…." — Henry James, Th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 08, 2017 is: slake \SLAYK\ verb 1 : satisfy, quench 2 : to cause (a substance, such as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate Examples: "Food trucks offering tacos, barbecue and wood-fired pizza will be available to slake any ale-induced cravings, and live bluegrass music from Turnip Truck and Red Barn Hayloft will serenade the eve...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 07, 2017 is: prehension \pree-HEN-shun\ noun 1 : the act of taking hold, seizing, or grasping 2 : mental understanding : comprehension 3 : apprehension by the senses Examples: "The CMC [carpometacarpal] joint of the thumb … performs a variety of movements necessary to perform prehension or grasping." — Mark McDonald, The South Platte Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 06, 2017 is: bombard \bahm-BARD\ verb 1 : to attack especially with artillery or bombers 2 : to assail vigorously or persistently (as with questions) 3 : to subject to the impact of rapidly moving particles (as electrons) Examples: After running an editorial supporting the town's controversial plan, the newspaper was bombarded with letters and email fr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 05, 2017 is: vituperate \vye-TOO-puh-rayt\ verb 1 : to criticize or censure severely or abusively 2 : to use harsh condemnatory language Examples: "Hang on, let me tell you a story: Years ago, I had a co-worker who knew I enjoyed golf and who decided that he would vituperate golf. 'It's so boring, it's such a waste of time. Who in his right mind would...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 04, 2017 is: agita \AJ-uh-tuh\ noun : a feeling of agitation or anxiety Examples: "Home-sharing through websites has meant more lodging choices for visitors to Massachusetts. But it's also become a source of considerable agita on Beacon Hill: How to tax and regulate this sudden behemoth?" — The Boston Globe, 18 June 2017 "According to an American Psych...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 3, 2017 is: salubrious \suh-LOO-bree-us\ adjective : favorable to or promoting health or well-being Examples: The hot springs are popular both for relaxation and for their reported salubrious effect. "There are many reasons why soup so often hits the spot. Certainly, it's got salubrious effects—with chicken soup topping the cure-all list." — Ligaya Fig...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 2, 2017 is: farceur \fahr-SER\ noun 1 : joker, wag 2 : a writer or actor of farce or satire Examples: Grace's class presentation went very well, but she could have done without the snide remarks from the farceurs at the back of the room. "Jerry Lewis didn't just play a nutty professor. For years he reigned as a mad comic scientist of the screen—a brash...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 1, 2017 is: censure \SEN-sher\ verb : to find fault with and criticize as blameworthy Examples: "The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government." — Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, New York Times v. United States, 1971 "No president has ever been removed by impeachment. No...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 30, 2017 is: apropos \ap-ruh-POH\ preposition : with regard to (something) : concerning Examples: Sean interrupted our conversation about politics and, apropos of nothing, asked who we thought would win the basketball game. "Around that time I came across a felicitous quote by Mark Twain, which said, apropos the difficulty of writing about childhood,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 29, 2017 is: ensconce \in-SKAHNSS\ verb 1 : to place or hide securely : conceal 2 : to establish or settle firmly, comfortably, or snugly Examples: Though kept—and used—for years in a private home, the unusual 17th-century porcelain bowl is now safely ensconced behind glass in a local museum. "Using their strong back legs, female loggerheads dig unti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 28, 2017 is: pace \PAY-see\ preposition : contrary to the opinion of — usually used as an expression of deference to someone's contrary opinion Examples: Pace the editorialist, there are in fact multiple solutions to these kinds of problems. "The public museums, great and small, that are one of America's educational glories house collections expensiv...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 27, 2017 is: disparate \DISS-puh-rut\ adjective 1 : containing or made up of fundamentally different and often incongruous elements 2 : markedly distinct in quality or character Examples: The proposed law has the support of a disparate collection of interest groups. "Released at San Diego's Comic-Con, the first full-length trailer for the CBS All Acc...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2017 is: broadside \BRAWD-syde\ noun 1 a : a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side; also : a sheet of paper printed on one or both sides and folded (such as for mailing) b : something (such as a ballad) printed on a broadside 2 : all the guns on one side of a ship; also : their simultaneous discharge 3 : a volley of abuse or denunciation : a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 25, 2017 is: anathematize \uh-NATH-uh-muh-tyze\ verb : curse, denounce Examples: "A great deal has happened in a very short time.… Feminist reforms in the home and workplace … have gained renewed momentum. Youth culture has anathematized bullying and accorded pride of place to nerd culture." — Jonathan Chait, The New York Magazine, 29 June 2015 "Its...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 24, 2017 is: legerity \luh-JAIR-uh-tee\ noun : alert facile quickness of mind or body Examples: The novel's less than compelling plot is counterbalanced by the narrator's wit and legerity. "There are brand new vehicles, brand new tracks and brand new ways to get gamers to exercise the kind of hand-digit legerity that other games don't like to employ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 23, 2017 is: toothsome \TOOTH-sum\ adjective 1 : agreeable, attractive 2 : of palatable flavor and pleasing texture : delicious Examples: "Next came toothsome slices of bread with three spreads: an herbaceous carrot top pesto, creamy local butter and Cheeky Monkey, a garlicky tomato oil made in Syracuse." — Tracy Schuhmacher, The Democrat and Chronic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 22, 2017 is: yeasty \YEE-stee\ adjective 1 : of, relating to, or resembling yeast 2 a : immature, unsettled b : marked by change c : full of vitality d : frivolous Examples: "[A]ll this yeasty mingling of dimly understood facts with vague but deep impressions … had been disturbing her during the weeks of her engagement." — George Eliot, Daniel Derond...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2017 is: shofar \SHOH-far\ noun : the horn of an animal (usually a ram) blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances and used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur Examples: "A collection of local artists will be selling their artwork, crafts, jewelry and Judaica, an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2017 is: holus-bolus \hoh-lus-BOH-lus\ adverb : all at once Examples: If you shout your questions at me holus-bolus, instead of asking them one at a time, then I won't be able to hear any of them. "Grasses are a conundrum. If you plant too many, you end up with a hayfield—not a great look in a garden…. Lazy landscapers shove them in holus-bolus b...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 19, 2017 is: glabrous \GLAY-brus\ adjective : smooth; especially : having a surface without hairs or projections Examples: Unlike the fuzzy peach, the nectarine has a glabrous skin. "[T]o augment the body's own ability to shed heat …, Roy Kornbluh and his colleagues … are focusing on the body's glabrous, or hairless, areas. In mammals, these parts ac...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 18, 2017 is: amanuensis \uh-man-yuh-WEN-sis\ noun : one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript Examples: "He then proceeded in his investigation, dictating, as he went on, the import of the questions and answers to the amanuensis, by whom it was written down." — Sir Walter Scott, Waverley, 1814 "In this version of the myth, Holmes is...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2017 is: portentous \por-TEN-tuss\ adjective 1 : of, relating to, or constituting a portent 2 : eliciting amazement or wonder : prodigious 3 a : being a grave or serious matter  b : self-consciously solemn or important : pompous c : ponderously excessive Examples: Our host had a habit of making portentous proclamations about the state of mod...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2017 is: travesty \TRAV-uh-stee\ noun 1 : a burlesque translation or literary or artistic imitation usually grotesquely incongruous in style, treatment, or subject matter  2 : a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation Examples: "What petty whims of a few higher-ups trampling the nation under their boots, ramming back down their thr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 15, 2017 is: inoculate \ih-NAHK-yuh-layt\ inoculate 1 a : to introduce a microorganism into b : to introduce (something, such as a microorganism) into a suitable situation for growth c : to introduce immunologically active material (such as an antibody or antigen) into especially in order to treat or prevent a disease 2 : to introduce something into...