Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2016 is: inchoate • \in-KOH-ut\  • adjective : being only partly in existence or operation : incipient; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated : formless, incoherent Examples: Five years ago, the restaurant was merely an inchoate notion in Nathan's head; today it is one of the most popular eateries in the city. "The nexus point in any populist...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2016 is: heliolatry • \hee-lee-AH-luh-tree\  • noun : sun worship Examples: Archeologists believe that the members of the ancient civilization practiced heliolatry because each temple faced east, toward the rising sun. "An observer would assume that all of us—humans and shorebirds alike—are guilty of heliolatry…. We had endured a series of dark, gloom...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2016 is: dolorous • \DOH-luh-rus\  • adjective : causing, marked by, or expressing misery or grief Examples: With his dolorous songs about hard-bitten people down on their luck, Johnny Cash garnered legions of fans across generations. "I felt myself sinking now and then into a dolorous state in which I allowed myself to succumb to a deep despair about...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2016 is: kvell • \KVEL\  • verb : to be extraordinarily proud : rejoice Examples: Critics kvelled over the violinist's triumphant return to the stage where she had made her debut many years ago. "My older brother, by two years and nine months, was a loving uncle who absolutely kvelled over his two nephews and was always asking me when I was next bring...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2016 is: benign • \bih-NYNE\  • adjective 1 : of a gentle disposition : gracious 2 a : showing kindness and gentleness b : favorable, wholesome 3 a : of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life; especially : not becoming cancerous b : having no significant effect : harmless Examples: "No doubt the history of this genial, white-ha...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2016 is: MacGuffin • \muh-GUFF-in\  • noun : an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance Examples: The missing document is the MacGuffin that brings the two main characters together, but the real story centers on their tumultuous relationship. "The story...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2016 is: verdure • \VER-jer\  • noun 1 : the greenness of growing vegetation; also : such vegetation itself 2 : a condition of health and vigor Examples: "All right, I have to admit it. It's stunning. Even though the summer drought has leached the verdure from the grand, sweeping lawns." — Zofia Smardz, The Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2007 "The visit beg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2016 is: obtuse • \ahb-TOOSS\  • adjective 1 a : not pointed or acute : blunt b : exceeding 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees  c : having an obtuse angle 2 a : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : insensitive, stupid b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression Examples: "A wrinkled brow or wri...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2016 is: tocsin • \TOCK-sin\  • noun 1 : an alarm bell or the ringing of it 2 : a warning signal Examples: A coalition of parents was sounding the tocsin for the school music program—if voters didn't approve a tax increase, the program was sure to be axed. "That may sound alarmist, but the tocsin is being rung by some pretty sober people." — Doyle McM...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2016 is: quaff • \KWAHF\  • verb : to drink deeply Examples: The kids thoroughly enjoyed running a lemonade stand for the day, and weren't bothered in the least by the paltry profits that always result when the proprietors quaff most of the product. "Contrary to the time-honored campaign tradition of stopping at a local pub to quaff Budweiser with the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2016 is: renovate • \REN-uh-vayt\  • verb 1 : to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding) 2 : to restore to life, vigor, or activity : revive Examples: "… society gains nothing whilst a man, not himself renovated, attempts to renovate things around him: he has become tediously good in some particular, but negligent o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2016 is: semelparous • \seh-MEL-puh-rus\  • adjective : reproducing or breeding only once in a lifetime Examples: The article's author is a scientist who spent years studying semelparous butterflies. "[The century plant's] common name derives from its semelparous nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life." — Fred Whitley, The St. Augus...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2016 is: passel • \PASS-ul\  • noun : a large number or amount Examples: When problems at the printing plant caused a delay in delivery of the newspaper, Rebecca was tasked with handling the passel of complaints from angry subscribers. "It's no easy feat being the standout here—the marquee names are all delightfully funny, not to mention the passel of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2016 is: ululate • \ULL-yuh-layt\  • verb : howl, wail Examples: "Millions of pop culture devotees weep and ululate over the death of David Bowie. His passing is noteworthy, given his significant celebrity profile, but I shall miss [journalist] George Jonas' contributions more." — Randall Bell, letter in The National Post (Canada), 13 Jan. 2016 "They t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2016 is: nescience • \NESH-ee-unss\  • noun : lack of knowledge or awareness : ignorance Examples: "Fallacious statements, which I will be generous and attribute to nescience and not to deliberate equivocation, include the following examples…." — H. B. "Bud" Thompson, The Fresno (California) Bee, 26 Sept. 2009 "Unnecessary obstacles to information—and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 6, 2016 is: welter • \WEL-ter\  • verb 1 a : writhe, toss; also : wallow b : to rise and fall or toss about in or with waves 2 : to become deeply sunk, soaked, or involved 3 : to be in turmoil Examples: "As debris weltered in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, the landfill company River Birch Inc. used helicopter tours to argue against the government's reopen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 5, 2016 is: lucid • \LOO-sid\  • adjective 1 a : suffused with light : luminous b : translucent 2 : having full use of one's faculties : sane 3 : clear to the understanding : intelligible Examples: "The sound swelled and enveloped us, and indeed it was like laughter, waves upon waves of … lucid laughter…." — Anne Rice, Memnoch the Devil, 1995 "His writing...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 4, 2016 is: ablution • \uh-BLOO-shun\  • noun 1 : the washing of one's body or part of it (as in a religious rite) 2 : the act or action of bathing — used in the plural form Examples: Francis awakened at dawn and performed his ablutions. "While it's true that many folks enjoy the ease of hopping into a shower stall for their morning ablutions, you are sti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 3, 2016 is: jubilate • \JOO-buh-layt\  • verb : to rejoice Examples: The crowd jubilated as the baserunner slid across home plate with the winning run. "When the game was over … there was a lot of jumping up and down and jiggling and hugging and jubilating in the luxury box belonging to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones." — Cindy Boren, The Washington Post, 5 Jan...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2016 is: cadence • \KAY-dunss\  • noun 1 a : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language b : the beat, time, or measure of rhythmical motion or activity 2 a : a falling inflection of the voice b : a musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or rest 3 : the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of a sound especially in nature Examples: Stephan...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 1, 2016 is: exemplary • \ig-ZEM-pluh-ree\  • adjective 1 : deserving imitation especially because of excellence : commendable 2 : serving as a warning : monitory 3 : serving as an example, instance, or illustration Examples: Members of the community who have demonstrated exemplary public service will be honored at the ceremony. "Since 1962, Big Blue's Fel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2016 is: tousle • \TOW-zul\  • verb : to make untidy : dishevel, rumple Examples: The cats got into a loud scuffle, tousling the clean sheets that Hugh had just put on the bed. "In person, removed from the dank interiors he typically haunts on 'Game of Thrones,' Mr. Rheon's face is more cherubic than demonic, with a rakish scruff and artfully tousled h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2016 is: cavalier • \kav-uh-LEER\  • adjective 1 : debonair 2 : marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters Examples: Miranda has a cavalier attitude when it comes to spending money. "At a certain point, however, he opened up,… though under the condition that there be no recorders or notepads. For a guy who was so...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2016 is: ken • \KEN\  • noun 1 a : the range of vision b : sight, view 2 : the range of perception, understanding, or knowledge Examples: The author advised the aspiring writers in the crowd to develop an authoritative voice by sticking to subjects within their ken. "The council appeared to be moving toward putting more money into the concession area s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2016 is: foozle • \FOO-zul\  • verb : to manage or play awkwardly : bungle Examples: After the receiver foozled the catch, the kicking team recovered the ball at the opponent's 10-yard line. "He foozled a short putt on the 72nd green at Southern Hills in Tulsa that would've won him the 2001 Open, then played solidly in a Monday playoff and defeated Mar...