Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 7, 2016 is: ruthless • \ROOTH-lus\  • adjective : having no pity : merciless, cruel Examples: The country was ruled by a ruthless dictator who could inflict punishment at will on any person who defied his orders. "While Wyatt's business tactics were said to be ruthless, they sure were smart." — James Reginato, Vanity Fair, February 2016 Did you know? Rut...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 6, 2016 is: mithridate • \MITH-ruh-dayt\  • noun : an antidote against poison; especially : a confection held to be effective against poison Examples: "What he wanted, in effect, was a universal antidote, which medical science has for years referred to as a mithridate." — Harold L. Klawans, Newton's Madness, 1990 "Is enough known about the mechanisms of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 5, 2016 is: declension • \dih-KLEN-shun\  • noun 1 : the inflectional forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective 2 : a falling off or away : deterioration 3 : descent, slope Examples: The most common declension in modern English is the set of plural nouns marked as plural with a simple "-s." "You jump in and begin seeing and hearing simple words in the forei...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 4, 2016 is: mash • \MASH\  • noun : an intense and usually passing infatuation; also : the object of infatuation Examples: You'd think Henry had a mash on Sylvia from the way he lights up whenever she walks into the room. "We would use the expression, 'The lady has a mash on you,' and then we would poke our chests 'way out as if we were pretty important....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 3, 2016 is: zenith • \ZEE-nith\  • noun 1 : the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer 2 : the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body 3 : culminating point : acme Examples: "'As a film actor,' muses [Helen] Mirren, 'I didn't really reach my zenith until comparatively recently....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 2, 2016 is: abrasive • \uh-BRAY-siv\  • adjective 1 : tending to wear away by rubbing 2 : causing irritation Examples: Coworkers tolerated Jane's abrasive personality because she was brilliant, but many privately wished she could learn to be a bit more polite. "He comes across as direct, confident but not cocky or abrasive." — Steve Flowers, The Jacksonv...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 1, 2016 is: vagary • \VAY-guh-ree\  • noun : an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion Examples: The vagaries of fashion make it difficult to predict what styles will be popular a year or two from now. "Being an attentive parent of a small family invariably means that you know, in minute detail, every quirk and vagary of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 31, 2016 is: parry • \PAIR-ee\  • verb 1 : to ward off a weapon or blow 2 : to evade especially by an adroit answer Examples: The fencer skillfully parried her opponent's thrusts. "The AMP [Accelerated Mobile Pages] technology … indirectly parries one of the main threats facing digital ad companies—the growing use of ad-blocking software in response to s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 30, 2016 is: sidereal • \sye-DEER-ee-ul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to stars or constellations 2 : measured by the apparent motion of the stars Examples: David's parents were so pleased by his newfound interest in sidereal phenomena that they bought him an expensive telescope for his birthday. "Today, these various astronomical functions can mainly...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 29, 2016 is: quorum • \KWOR-um\  • noun 1 : a select group 2 : the number (such as a majority) of officers or members of a body that when duly assembled is legally competent to transact business Examples: The organization's charter states that a quorum of at least seven board members must be present before any voting can take place.  "The City Council me...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 28, 2016 is: auspicious • \aw-SPISH-us\  • adjective 1 : showing or suggesting that future success is likely : propitious 2 : attended by good fortune : prosperous Examples: Being nominated for four awards, including Best Picture, the movie proved to be an auspicious start to his directing career. "In Chinese lobster is called 'long xia,' or dragon prawn...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2016 is: winnow • \WIN-oh\  • verb 1 : to remove (as chaff) by a current of air; also : to free (as grain) from waste in this manner 2 : to remove, separate, or select as if by winnowing 3 : to narrow or reduce 4 : to blow on or fan Examples: The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job applicants down to five; man...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 26, 2016 is: mirage • \muh-RAHZH\  • noun 1 : an illusion sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over hot pavement that looks like a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted 2 : something illusory and unattainable like a mirage Examples: The members of the caravan thought they spied water ahead, but it turned out to be a mir...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 25, 2016 is: undulant • \UN-juh-lunt\  • adjective 1 : rising and falling in waves 2 : having a wavy form, outline, or surface Examples: The narrow greens, pesky hazards, and undulant fairways make the golf course one of the most challenging places to play in the area. "As the plane taxied and turned, I saw the runway rolled out before us, an undulant gr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 24, 2016 is: consummate • \KAHN-suh-mut\  • adjective 1 : complete in every detail : perfect 2 : extremely skilled and accomplished 3 : of the highest degree Examples: Always the consummate professional, Erika has testimonials from dozens of satisfied clients on her website. "[Daniel] Bryan, 34, loved professional wrestling, and Miami is where the consum...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 23, 2016 is: propensity • \pruh-PENN-suh-tee\  • noun : an often intense natural inclination or preference Examples: His propensity to speak his mind makes some of his colleagues wary. "In fact, Welch's propensity for forming partnerships along with her enthusiasm for the alliance's mission is what caught the attention of the search committee, says Antho...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 22, 2016 is: hie • \HYE\  • verb 1 : to go quickly : hasten 2 : to cause (oneself) to go quickly Examples: "Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence's cell; / There stays a husband to make you a wife." — William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1597 "The Tulsa State Fair is an annual, autumnal assault on the senses—a cornucopia of cacophony, a symphony of scen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 21, 2016 is: farraginous • \fuh-RAJ-uh-nus\  • adjective : consisting of a confused mixture : formed of various materials in no fixed order or arrangement Examples: The large box at the hotel's lost and found desk contained a farraginous assortment of hats, umbrellas, cell phones, and other personal items. "The next noise was the resonant but farraginous...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 20, 2016 is: nidifugous • \nye-DIFF-yuh-gus\  • adjective : leaving the nest soon after hatching Examples: "Little is known about the mortality of nidifugous shorebird chicks." — Hans Schekkerman et al., The Journal of Ornithology, January 2009 "These sites are very vulnerable to predators and this may be one reason why almost all freshwater birds have n...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 19, 2016 is: kismet • \KIZZ-met\  • noun : fate Examples: It may have been kismet that brought the business duo together, but it was a case of smart research and development on his part and innovative advertising on hers that really launched the product. "The fact that Davis Love III was named U.S. Ryder Cup captain the same day his son, Dru, … won his f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 18, 2016 is: epistemic • \ep-uh-STEE-mik\  • adjective : of or relating to knowledge or knowing : cognitive Examples: Professor Rich is convinced that the quest for epistemic certainty is a foolhardy one. "The ­Internet-enabled news-cum-entertainment industry stokes political resentments even as it creates epistemic anarchy." — Adrian Wooldridge, The New...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 17, 2016 is: morass • \muh-RASS\  • noun 1 : marsh, swamp 2 a : a situation that traps, confuses, or impedes b : an overwhelming or confusing mass or mixture Examples: "Once the sales are complete, the work won't be over. Delivering the items means navigating a morass of regulations from shippers, insurance companies and foreign governments." — Thad Moor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 16, 2016 is: obnubilate • \ahb-NOO-buh-layt\  • verb : becloud, obscure Examples: The writer's essay includes some valid points, but they are obnubilated by his convoluted prose style. "Early street lighting had the disconcerting effect of obnubilating as well as illuminating urban space." — Matthew Beaumont, Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 15, 2016 is: golem • \GOH-lum\  • noun 1 : an artificial being in Hebrew folklore endowed with life 2 : someone or something resembling a golem: such as a : automaton b : blockhead Examples: "Honestly I don't remember all that much about how the golem looked; it had big feet, each with five clay toes…." — Michael Chabon, Maps and Legends, 2008 "But the r...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 14, 2016 is: verbatim • \ver-BAY-tim\  • adverb : in the exact words : word for word Examples: The coach was quoted verbatim in the article announcing that she would retire at the end of the season. "The year is 1993. Carlito's Way is our favorite movie. We watched it at least 10 times. We knew the lines of our favorite scenes verbatim. Moya would play G...