Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 29, 2016 is: cabal • \kuh-BAHL\  • noun 1 : the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in such artifices and intrigues 2 : club, group Examples: "A 'cabal' of wealthy conservatives has begun using New York State's campaign finance laws to sway local elections…." —...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 28, 2016 is: vamoose • \vuh-MOOSS\  • verb : to depart quickly Examples: With the sheriff and his posse hot on their tails, the bank robbers knew they had better vamoose. "Five minutes later the police arrived, and of course there was no sign of illegal activity. The crooks monitored the police radio and knew when to vamoose." — The Rockford (Illinoi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 27, 2016 is: peculiar • \pih-KYOOL-yer\  • adjective 1 : characteristic of only one person, group, or thing : distinctive 2 : special, particular 3 : odd, curious 4 : eccentric Examples: "'I'm not like you. … I'm common, just like my grandfather.' Emma shook her head. 'Is that really what you think?' 'If I could do something spectacular like you, don...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2016 is: tantivy • \tan-TIV-ee\  • adverb : at a gallop Examples: The horse rushed tantivy over the dirt roads that wound through the fields and pastures. "Thus it came about that Denby and his man, riding tantivy to the rescue, met the raiders two miles down the trail…." — Francis Lynde, The Helpers, 1899 Did you know? Tantivy is an adverb as we...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 25, 2016 is: iota • \eye-OH-tuh\  • noun 1 : the 9th letter of the Greek alphabet 2 : an infinitesimal amount : jot Examples: "The rooms were impeccably decorated, with not an iota of clutter." — Judy DiForte, AnnArbor.com, 21 Mar. 2011 "The 'my way or the highway' representatives couldn't care one iota about those who do not share their specific val...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 24, 2016 is: reconcile • \REK-un-syle\  • verb 1 a : to restore to friendship or harmony b : to settle or resolve (differences) 2 : to make consistent or congruous    3 : to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant 4 : to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy Examples: "The trailer shows his earliest struggles to reconcile...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 23, 2016 is: mettle • \MET-ul\  • noun 1 a : vigor and strength of spirit or temperament b : staying quality : stamina 2 : quality of temperament or disposition Examples: "People aren't trying to hide their prosthetics like they once did. There is a sense of community, being proud of who you are and showing off your mettle." — Rebekah Spielman, quote...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 22, 2016 is: palpable • \PAL-puh-bul\  • adjective 1 : capable of being touched or felt : tangible 2 : easily perceptible : noticeable 3 : easily perceptible by the mind : manifest Examples: The tension in the courtroom was palpable as the jury foreman stood to announce the verdict. "The beautifully shot, meditative film takes on a palpable sense of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2016 is: consigliere • \kohn-sil-YEH-reh\  • noun : counselor, adviser Examples: "Luisi’s goal was to create his own family in Boston, with Guarente as his underboss and Gentile as his consigliere." — Stephen Kurkjian and Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe, 26 July 2016 "In any event, it appears that Shari has turned her attention to removing the o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2016 is: nefarious • \nih-FAIR-ee-us\  • adjective : flagrantly wicked or impious : evil Examples: "The company will not call you to ask for your Social Security or account number, but nefarious scammers might." — Ellen Marks, The Albuquerque Journal, 31 July 2016 "Mention the word 'drugs,' and most people think of nefarious, evil substances boug...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 19, 2016 is: eclogue • \ECK-log\  • noun : a poem in which shepherds converse Examples: Modern critics tend to have little tolerance for the idealized world of the old eclogues, in which poverty is bathed in golden light. "[Matt] Pavelich begins his novel with an excerpt from W. H. Auden's Pulitzer Prize-winning poem, 'Age of Anxiety.' Auden's is a f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 18, 2016 is: loll • \LAHL\  • verb 1 : to hang or let hang loosely : droop 2 : to recline, lean, or move in a lax, lazy, or indolent manner : lounge Examples: "'Ginny, please wake up,' Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side." — J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999 "We took the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2016 is: gadarene • \GAD-uh-reen\  • adjective : headlong, precipitate Examples: The chairman was worried that in the company's gadarene rush to go public its original obligation to the customer would be forgotten. "Virginia's innate conservatism has spared it from foolishly joining many a Gadarene rush. But its glacial embrace of change has also...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2016 is: juggernaut • \JUG-er-nawt\  • noun 1 : (chiefly British) a large heavy truck 2 : a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path Examples: Led by their talented shooting guard, the high school's basketball team was a juggernaut, winning the state championship three years in a row. "Under [He...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 15, 2016 is: implacable • \im-PLAK-uh-bul\  • adjective : not placable : not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated Examples: "I am studying physics at a small graduate school because the implacable laws of the universe are of interest to me." — Fiona Maazel, Ploughshares, Summer 2015 "Through his audacity, his vision, and his...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 14, 2016 is: hare • \HAIR\  • verb : to go swiftly : tear Examples: Andrew hared along the country road on his motorbike. "Pilgrims to the holy site now have to pay for the privilege of leaving their cars at the bottom, taking off their shoes and socks and haring up the mountain." — Nuala McCann, The Irish News, 22 May 2010                Did you kno...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 13, 2016 is: kibosh • \KYE-bahsh\  • noun : something that serves as a check or stop Examples: Heavy rains put the kibosh on many of the activities scheduled for the day. "Yet every time a new idea takes root, old-guard companies that feel threatened, and politicians and regulators who like to control things, put the kibosh on the upstarts. They don'...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2016 is: flippant • \FLIP-unt\  • adjective : lacking proper respect or seriousness Examples: The singer's fans were not amused by his flippant remark in response to the tragedy. "Earlier this year, [Hope] Solo said she might not take part in the Olympics because of the [Zika] virus. She ultimately decided that she would, but more recently she pu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2016 is: myrmidon • \MER-muh-dahn\  • noun : a loyal follower; especially : a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously Examples: "… when [Howard] Cosell came to TV he was utterly in contrast to the toothy myrmidons who reigned at the microphone and who spoke no evil save for the mayhem they regularly perpetrated upon the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2016 is: devolve • \dih-VAHLV\  • verb 1 a : to pass by transmission or succession b : to fall or be passed usually as a responsibility or obligation 2 : to come by or as if by flowing down 3 : to degenerate through a gradual change or evolution Examples: Over time, the weekly book club meeting devolved into mean-spirited gossip sessions. "… with...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2016 is: sylvan • \SILL-vun\  • adjective 1 a : living or located in the woods or forest b : of, relating to, or characteristic of the woods or forest 2 a : made from wood : wooden b : abounding in woods, groves, or trees : wooded Examples: "The climb up the hill … was a short, hot pilgrimage to a sylvan glade, where the reading tents and outlets...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 8, 2016 is: bevy • \BEV-ee\  • noun 1 : a large group or collection 2 : a group of animals and especially quail Examples: "… Prince William admits his son George is 'far too spoiled' after getting a bevy of gifts for his 3rd birthday." — The Daily News (New York), 25 July 2016 "Many cereals contain whole grains and a bevy of nutritious ingredients, b...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 7, 2016 is: untoward • \un-TOH-erd\  • adjective 1 : difficult to guide, manage, or work with : unruly, intractable 2 a : marked by trouble or unhappiness : unlucky b : not favorable or propitious : adverse 3 : improper, indecorous Examples: I eyed the stranger suspiciously, but I had to admit that there was nothing untoward about his appearance. "Th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2016 is: will-o'-the-wisp • \will-uh-thuh-WISP\  • noun 1 : a light that appears at night over marshy ground 2 : a misleading or elusive goal or hope Examples: "Why don't you try to communicate with your boyfriend and see if you can find the root of the dissatisfaction? Perhaps you can repair it before you go and dismantle your life. If the relati...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 5, 2016 is: sagacious • \suh-GAY-shus\  • adjective 1 : of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment : discerning 2 : caused by or indicating acute discernment Examples: "Star's limitless patience and unconditional support …, coupled with the sagacious advice and guidance he gave me through the many years, elevates him to a very special position o...