Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2016 is: aureate • \OR-ee-ut\  • adjective 1 : of a golden color or brilliance 2 : marked by grandiloquent and rhetorical style Examples: The poems display the writer's mastery of both colloquial and aureate diction. "… the sunlight burned upon his medal, giving him an aureate, convincing—but false—appearance." — David Ebershoff, Pasadena, 2003 Did you...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2016 is: milquetoast • \MILK-tohst\  • noun : a timid, meek, or unassertive person Examples: Brian was such a milquetoast that he agreed to work extra hours on Sunday even though he had already told his boss that he needed that day off. "Aristotle said that virtue is the mean between the extremes of deficiency and excess. When someone steals your parki...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2016 is: jeopardize • \JEP-er-dyze\  • verb : to expose to danger or risk : imperil Examples: Jerry was warned that a continued decrease in his sales performance could jeopardize his chances for a promotion. "The bill grew out of a problem that has developed in north central Connecticut, where cracking foundations have jeopardized the stability of more...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 24, 2016 is: stolid • \STAH-lid\  • adjective : having or expressing little or no sensibility : unemotional Examples: The stolid detective spoke to the witness in a precise, unequivocal manner. "A modest woman of great heart and spirit, Deirdre, perhaps more than any other member of the family, has weathered the storms she and her husband have endured with...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 23, 2016 is: litotes • \LYE-tuh-teez\  • noun : understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary Examples: "Vacationing in the Caribbean wasn't a total drag," said Sheila with her characteristic flair for litotes. "Analysts and experts reached for metaphors, similes, allusions, litotes and anything else lying about to exp...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2016 is: ideate • \EYE-dee-ayt\  • verb 1 : to form an idea or conception of (something) 2 : to form an idea Examples: Jocelyn used the lunch hour at the education seminar to talk with other teachers and ideate new activities to use in the classroom. "Most of us don't dedicate any time to thinking and ideating. To think well, you need to be willing to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 21, 2016 is: zeroth • \ZEE-rohth\  • adjective : being numbered zero in a series; also : of, relating to, or being a zero Examples: "Many tall buildings lack a 13th floor, skipping from 12 to 14 to avoid that dreaded number. Most buildings—at least in the U.S.A.—also lack a zeroth floor." — Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty, Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 2005...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 20, 2016 is: dally • \DAL-ee\  • verb 1 a : to act playfully; especially : to play amorously b : to deal lightly : toy 2 a : to waste time b : linger, dawdle Examples: He dithered and dallied, avoiding his work for as long as possible. "Voters don't elect leaders to dally, stall, drag their feet and excel at the art of delay." —The Daily Chronicle (DeKalb,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 19, 2016 is: ramshackle • \RAM-shak-ul\  • adjective 1 : appearing ready to collapse : rickety 2 : carelessly or loosely constructed Examples: The yard was sectioned off by a ramshackle wooden fence that was just barely held together with chicken wire. "He's also made the bold move of purchasing the ramshackle building behind his market, envisioning an Int...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2016 is: nomenclature • \NOH-mun-klay-cher\  • noun 1 : name, designation 2 : the act or process or an instance of naming 3 a : a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline, or art b : an international system of standardized New Latin names used in biology for kinds and groups of kinds of animals and plants Example...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2016 is: hector • \HEK-ter\  • verb 1 : to play the bully : swagger 2 : to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure Examples: The judge sternly ordered the attorney to stop hectoring the witness. "For several years now he has been making life easier for every journalist who follows the Affordable Care Act by heroically compiling health insu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2016 is: quincunx • \KWIN-kunks\  • noun : an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle Examples: The sculptures in the square were arranged in a quincunx with the outer ones marking the perimeter and the middle one serving as the centerpiece. "The towers of Angkor Wat—shaped in a quincunx, five p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2016 is: eminently • \EM-uh-nunt-lee\  • adverb : to a high degree : very Examples: The candidate is so eminently qualified that it is difficult to imagine why she would not get the position. "… in the interest of exercise and getting to know my town a little better, my New Year's resolution was this: Walk every block of this eminently walkable little...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2016 is: subpoena • \suh-PEE-nuh\  • noun : a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure Examples: Subpoenas have been issued to several of the defendant's family members ordering that they testify at trial. "'If we have to compel them to come in, then that's what we're going to do,' he said, referring to p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2016 is: venerate • \VEN-uh-rayt\  • verb 1 : to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference 2 : to honor (something, such as an icon or a relic) with a ritual act of devotion Examples: "In William Shakespeare's classic, the Romans venerate their leader, but Brutus sees that Julius Caesar may be too powerful for the good of the nation."...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2016 is: fauve • \FOHV\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to painters practicing fauvism 2 : vivid in color Examples: "Fauve colors brought sizzle back to tableware, but could you really eat off a Rorschach of orange, black and pink?" — Julie V. Iovine, The New York Times Magazine, 14 Mar. 1993 "Three were landscapes…. The other was a later painting of A...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2016 is: palooka • \puh-LOO-kuh\  • noun 1 : an inexperienced or incompetent boxer 2 : oaf, lout Examples: "The boxing audiences loved him…. Though often reckless, Mickey was never a palooka and learned from every opponent he faced." — Tom Fox, Hidden History of the Irish of New Jersey, 2011 "In the second debate, he expected to face a bunch of exhaust...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2016 is: urbane • \er-BAYN\  • adjective : notably polite or polished in manner Examples: Deirdre was an urbane and sociable party guest who could seamlessly transition from one conversation to the next. "In its heyday among the mod generation, the writing essentially peddled the fantasy of being a more sedentary James Bond: a sophisticated and urbane...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2016 is: hubris • \HYOO-bris\  • noun : exaggerated pride or self-confidence Examples: The company's failure was ultimately brought on by the hubris of its founder. "I think confidence is one of the most important qualities that you need in a leader—self-assurance. But at times confidence can shade over into arrogance and even hubris." — Doris Kearns Go...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2016 is: nonplus • \nahn-PLUS\  • verb : to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do : perplex Examples: The student's unexpected about-face during the class discussion nonplussed the teacher. "Finding out that the new site for your business is home as well to stray cats and assorted wildlife might have nonplussed some people, but Gary Meye...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2016 is: amicable • \AM-ih-kuh-bul\  • adjective : characterized by friendly goodwill : peaceable Examples: Tim and Audrey's relationship remained amicable even after they broke up. "Throughout the conference, my colleagues and I engaged in amicable and productive talks, which gave us important insights on what it would take to secure regional support f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2016 is: tranche • \TRAHNSH\  • noun : a division or portion of a pool or whole Examples: "JPMorgan Chase must retain 5% of each tranche, or class, of notes to be issued by the trust…. The bank must also comply with disclosure and reporting requirements introduced for securitization…." — Allison Bisbey, The American Banker, 17 Mar. 2016 "The sale of a f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2016 is: gormandize • \GOR-mun-dyze\  • verb : to eat greedily, gluttonously, or ravenously Examples: "People stuff themselves, they gorge, they gormandize; their fingers are greasy from morning to night." — Philippe Sagant, The Dozing Shaman, 1996 "While my ability to gormandize has slackened over the years, my enthusiasm for cooking big has only grown...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2016 is: wisenheimer • \WYE-zun-hye-mer\  • noun : smart aleck Examples: Leslie delivered a flawless presentation even in spite of interruptions from the wisenheimers in the back of the classroom. "… we both come from incredibly saucy families who love to sling it every which way, so it just seemed natural for us to cross our fingers that any children w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2016 is: callow • \KAL-oh\  • adjective : lacking adult sophistication : immature Examples: "So callow was Williams that there was a clause in his first contract, which he signed at the age of 18, that stipulated the team would pay for his mother to be with him at least one week of every month." — Steve Hummer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9 Dec. 2...