Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2017 is: akimbo \uh-KIM-boh\ adjective or adverb 1 : having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward 2 : set in a bent position Examples: The model, arms akimbo, struck a pose at the end of the runway. "Off the kitchen, the metal skeleton of what is supposed to be a human-size dinosaur puppet sits akimbo." — Kayla Epstein, The Washington Post,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2017 is: wreak \REEK\ verb 1 : to cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment) 2 : to give free play or course to (malevolent feeling) 3 : bring about, cause Examples: "A cheeky peacock has wreaked havoc inside a California liquor store, smashing over $500 worth of expensive wine and champagne." — Heat Street, 7 June 2017 "Don't be fooled by Mike...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2017 is: haphazard \hap-HAZZ-erd\ adjective : marked by lack of plan, order, or direction Examples: "… his intense work ethic has made such a feat of releasing back-to-back projects appear effortless, conscious and polished, as opposed to what could have been … a haphazard effort scrapping together 34 assorted tracks from his never-ending archive." —...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2017 is: advise \ud-VYZE\ verb 1 a : to give a recommendation about what should be done : to give advice to b : caution, warn Examples: Betty's doctor advised her to exercise more carefully if she hoped to avoid re-injuring her sprained ankle. "Many travelers underestimate the costs of meals, snacks and tips, says guidebook author James Kaiser. He adv...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2017 is: tare \TAIR\ noun 1 : a deduction from the gross weight of a substance and its container made in allowance for the weight of the container; also : the weight of the container 2 : counterweight Examples: Factoring in a tare of 10,000 pounds for the trailer, the transportation officer determined that the truck's cargo load still exceeded the leg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2017 is: gauche \GOHSH\ adjective 1 : lacking social experience or grace; also : not tactful : crude 2 : crudely made or done Examples: "We were described by our parents as classless and free, but instructed that chewing gum was gauche." — Kira von Eichel-Butler, Vogue, October 2016 "The second thing I did was request soy sauce, which wasn't on the ta...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2017 is: crucible \KROO-suh-bul\ noun 1 : a vessel in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted 2 : a severe test 3 : a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development Examples: Living in the crucible that was Paris in the spring of 1968, Remi got to witness fi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2017 is: edacious \ih-DAY-shus\ adjective 1 : having a huge appetite : ravenous 2 : excessively eager : insatiable Examples: Living with three edacious teenagers, Marilyn and Roger were dismayed by how much they had to spend on groceries week after week. "... Stone's narrative prowess had been such as to infect me ... with his Weltschmerz. In fairness...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2017 is: vindicate \VIN-duh-kayt\ verb 1 : avenge 2 a : to free from allegation or blame b : confirm, substantiate c : to provide justification or defense for : justify d : to protect from attack or encroachment : defend 3 : to maintain a right to Examples: The defendant's lawyer feels his client will be completely vindicated by the witness' testimoni...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2017 is: steadfast \STED-fast\ adjective 1 a : firmly fixed in place : immovable b : not subject to change 2 : firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal Examples: Maureen knew she could count on the steadfast support of her best friend even in the hardest of times. "He advised the graduating class to approach each day with steadfast determin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2017 is: yawp \YAWP\ verb 1 : to make a raucous noise : squawk 2 : clamor, complain Examples: They yawped and cheered when they heard honks from passing cars, including a Toledo police vehicle that briefly sounded its alarm." — Andrew Koenig, The Toledo (Ohio) Blade, 7 Aug. 2015 "It's a place where teenagers yawp and chuckle over mounds of fried rice...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2017 is: copacetic \koh-puh-SET-ik\ adjective : very satisfactory Examples: "... if you're going to be traveling with us it just wouldn't look too copacetic for you to be carrying that ratty old bag." — Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy, 1999 "In terms of living standards we're now back to where we started which while not making us entirely copa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2017 is: savant \sa-VAHNT\ noun 1 : a person of learning; especially : one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature) 2 : a person affected with a mental disability (such as autism) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music); especially : autistic savant Exampl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2017 is: meme \MEEM\ noun 1 : an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture 2 : an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media Examples: "Graffiti have been the elemental memes of political speech ... in all th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2017 is: onerous \AH-nuh-rus\ adjective 1 : involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : troublesome (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troublesome) 2 : having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages Examples: "Payroll is a complex set of data and tasks. It requires as much simplicity in terms of user interface and navigation as dev...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2017 is: repudiate \rih-PYOO-dee-ayt\ verb 1 : to divorce or separate formally from (a woman) 2 : to refuse to have anything to do with : disown (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disown) 3 a : to refuse to accept; especially : to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force b : to reject as untrue or unjust 4 : to refuse to acknowled...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2017 is: assay \a-SAY\ verb 1 a : to analyze (something, such as an ore) for one or more specific components b : to judge the worth of : estimate (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estimate) 2 : try (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/try), attempt (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attempt)   3 : to prove to be of a p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2017 is: bosky \BAH-skee\ adjective 1 : having abundant trees or shrubs 2 : of or relating to a woods Examples: The deer sensed our presence and fled to the bosky areas surrounding the meadow. "A national park since 1993, it's a tranquil region patched with pine forest, where beavers swim in lazy streams and mushrooms proliferate along bosky walking tr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2017 is: turpitude \TER-puh-tood\ noun : inherent baseness : depravity; also : a base act Examples: Many consumers have raised objections to the company's latest ad campaign, in which various forms of moral turpitude are depicted as fashion statements. "As a lawyer, a conviction for this type of conduct is likely to be considered a crime of 'moral turp...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2017 is: ludic \LOO-dik\ adjective : of, relating to, or characterized by play : playful Examples: "[Mo] Willems's humor is often ludic…. The classic shaggy-dog structure of 'I Broke My Trunk!' centers on Gerald telling a long heroic story that involves him balancing on his trunk first just Hippo … and then also Rhino … and then also Hippo's big sister...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2017 is: poltroon \pahl-TROON\ noun : a spiritless coward : craven Examples: "I am a poltroon on certain points; I feel it. There is a base alloy of moral cowardice in my composition." — Charlotte Brontë, Shirley, 1849 "There's a theory that even though voters insist they hate the negative commercials portraying a candidate's opponent as a sleazy, brib...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2017 is: flat-hat \FLAT-hat\ verb : to fly low in an airplane in a reckless manner : hedgehop Examples: Unable to resist the temptation to show off, the young pilot decreased altitude and flat-hatted over the county fairground. "A tactical jet flying on an approved and appropriately scheduled Military Training Route is not flat-hatting. On the contrary...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2017 is: inalienable \in-AY-lee-uh-nuh-bul\ adjective : incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred Examples: The American ethos is built on the belief that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights. "'Downward Dog' … goes a particularly funny step further by reflecting another truism: People are dogs, too. We als...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2017 is: construe \kun-STROO\ verb 1 : to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in (a sentence or sentence part) 2 : to understand or explain the sense or intention of usually in a particular way or with respect to a given set of circumstances Examples: "A tall, slim girl, 'half-past sixteen,' with serious gray eyes and hair which her friends...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2017 is: dithyramb \DITH-ih-ram\ noun 1 : a usually short poem in an inspired wild irregular strain 2 : a statement or writing in an exalted or enthusiastic vein Examples: She is working on a scholarly analysis of early Greek dithyrambs. "His books are immensely entertaining …, but they also are serious examinations of the underside of American society...