Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2015 is: hoosegow • \HOOSS-gow\  • noun : jail Examples: The perpetrator was sentenced to three months in the hoosegow. "Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds has issued a blunt warning to pet owners: treat your dogs and cats humanely or you might wind up in the hoosegow." - Bill Hendrick, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 16, 2014 Did you know?...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2015 is: categorical • \kat-uh-GOR-ih-kul\  • adjective 1 : absolute, unqualified 2 : of, relating to, or constituting a category Examples: "For his part, Morell, who became deputy CIA director in 2010 and twice served as acting director before retiring in 2013, was categorical in his denial." - Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy DC, May 13, 2015 "Following...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2015 is: bunkum • \BUNG-kum\  • noun : insincere or foolish talk : nonsense Examples: I hesitated to voice my opinions, fearful that my companions would deride my views as bunkum. "The now-discredited study got headlines because it offered hope. It seemed to prove that our sense of empathy … could overcome prejudice and bridge seemingly irreconcilable...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2015 is: stringent • \STRIN-junt\  • adjective 1 : tight, constricted 2 : marked by rigor, strictness, or severity 3 : marked by money scarcity and credit strictness Examples: Brandon and Sarah had to adjust to living on a stringent budget during the four months when Brandon was looking for a job. "In an effort to address the perils of climate change,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2015 is: interpellate • \in-ter-PELL-ayt\  • verb : to question (someone, such as a foreign minister) formally concerning an official action or policy or personal conduct Examples: At the international tribunal, U.N. officials interpellated the premier about his country's acquisition of illegal weapons. "The group noted that Mr. Lotilla was being inter...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2015 is: apprehension • \ap-rih-HEN-shun\  • noun 1 a : the act or power of perceiving or comprehending b : the result of apprehending mentally : conception 2 : seizure by legal process : arrest 3 : suspicion or fear especially of future evil : foreboding Examples: "Oddly combined with her sharp apprehension … was the primitive simplicity of her attitu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2015 is: precarious • \prih-KAIR-ee-us\  • adjective 1 : dependent on uncertain premises : dubious 2 a : dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments b : dangerously lacking in security or steadiness Examples: The books were stacked high in a precarious tower that was liable to topple at any moment. "[Margaret] Atwoo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2015 is: disinformation • \dis-in-fer-MAY-shun\  • noun : false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth Examples: The writer's latest book examines the effects of propaganda and disinformation during the Cold War. "But more than anything else, we believ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2015 is: expeditious • \ek-spuh-DISH-us\  • adjective : marked by or acting with prompt efficiency Examples: Geraldine was impressed by the company's expeditious response, which arrived in the mail only one week after she had submitted her query. "[Councilman Frank Colonna] also noted that the recently formed Economic Development Commission is activel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2015 is: cybrarian • \sye-BRAIR-ee-un\  • noun : a person whose job is to find, collect, and manage information that is available on the World Wide Web Examples: The university's cybrarians maintain libraries of Web sites pertaining to specific fields of study. "Mike Tromblee is on a mission. The new Redwood Area School District cybrarian and media ce...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2015 is: mesmerize • \MEZ-muh-ryze\  • verb 1 : to subject to mesmerism; also : hypnotize 2 : spellbind Examples: Moviegoers will find themselves mesmerized by the visual intricacy and frenetic pacing of the animated sequence that opens the movie. "In 2008, Democrats had a 47-year-old candidate who mesmerized the party and ran away with the votes of A...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2015 is: waddy • \WAH-dee\  • noun : cowboy Examples: "One of the waddies, a young, long-faced kid in an oversized black hat, held Renegade's reins up close to the bridle and was running a soothing hand down the skewbald's stout neck." - Peter Brandvold, .45 Caliber Firebrand, 2009 "There is always an Old West gunfight re-enactment to watch, a nightly...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2015 is: futile • \FYOO-tul\  • adjective 1 : serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective 2 : occupied with trifles : frivolous Examples: Unfortunately, all efforts to repair the damage ultimately proved futile. "Kumiko's journey is a tragic one. It is made clear from the beginning that her quest is futile." - Josh Weitzel, Columbia Chronicle (...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2015 is: anastrophe • \uh-NASS-truh-fee\  • noun : inversion of the usual syntactical order of words for rhetorical effect Examples: My father was fond of word play, especially anastrophe, when he talked to my sister and me about things we would rather not talk about; he would say things like "Tired you are not but to bed you must go." "Should you buy...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2015 is: belated • \bih-LAY-tud\  • adjective 1 : delayed beyond the usual time 2 : existing or appearing past the normal or proper time Examples: Susan called Jim to let him know that a belated birthday gift from her was on its way. "Friends and neighbors of the state Capitol complex joined Lt. Gov. Angela McLean Friday in a belated Earth Day celebra...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2015 is: roustabout • \ROWSS-tuh-bowt\  • noun 1 a : deckhand b : a person who loads and unloads ships at a seaport 2 : an unskilled or semiskilled laborer especially in an oil field or refinery 3 : a circus worker who erects and dismantles tents, cares for the grounds, and handles animals and equipment 4 : a person with no permanent home or regular o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2015 is: ingenuous • \in-JEN-yuh-wus\  • adjective 1 : showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness 2 : lacking craft or subtlety Examples: The salesman had perfected the art of winning over potential buyers by playing the part of a folksy, ingenuous bumpkin who is just looking out for his customers. "Wearing his yellow tights and green tun...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2015 is: hobbit • \HOB-it\  • noun : a member of a fictitious peaceful and genial race of small humanlike creatures that dwell underground Examples: Anthony attended the science-fiction and fantasy convention dressed as a hobbit. "Jones' 10x20 hobbit-style house comes equipped with the iconic ivy-covered roof and many amenities indoors, including a wa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2015 is: parse • \PARSS\  • verb 1 a : to resolve (as a sentence) into component parts of speech and describe them grammatically b : to describe grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection and syntactical relationships 2 : to examine in a minute way : analyze critically Examples: The lawyer meticulously parsed the wording...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2015 is: caparison • \kuh-PAIR-uh-sun\  • noun 1 a : an ornamental covering for a horse b : decorative trappings and harness 2 : rich clothing : adornment Examples: A group of horses outfitted in medieval caparison were standing near the area where the festival's jousting would begin. "The female mummy was called the princess because of the richness o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2015 is: esoteric • \es-uh-TAIR-ik\  • adjective 1 a : designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone b : requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group; broadly : difficult to understand 2 a : limited to a small circle b : private, confidential 3 : of special, rare, or unusual interest Examples: Some of the terms u...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2015 is: libertine • \LIB-er-teen\  • noun 1 : a freethinker especially in religious matters 2 : a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality; specifically : one leading a dissolute life Examples: Don Juan is known as a famous libertine who seduced countless women. "In the movie, she's portrayed as a libertine who had affairs with both men a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2015 is: gossamer • \GAH-suh-mer\  • adjective : extremely light, delicate, or tenuous Examples: Except for a few gossamer clouds, the sky was clear and blue. "On two screens, she watched herself spin in a green field, gossamer wings floating off her body." - Melena Ryzik, New York Times, March 3, 2015 Did you know? In the days of Middle English, a pe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2015 is: thesaurus • \thih-SOR-us\  • noun 1 : treasury, storehouse 2 a : a book of words or of information about a particular field or set of concepts; especially : a book of words and their synonyms b : a list of subject headings or descriptors usually with a cross-reference system for use in the organization of a collection of documents for referen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2015 is: rambunctious • \ram-BUNK-shuss\  • adjective : marked by uncontrollable exuberance : unruly Examples: When Kelly gets a bit too rambunctious, her parents sit her down for a time-out. "The prolific tiger and her latest batch of rambunctious cubs were part of the zoo's Mother’s Day special Saturday, when human mothers were invited to 'bring you...