Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 29, 2015 is: discomfit • \diss-KUM-fit\  • verb 1 : to frustrate the plans of : thwart 2 : to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment : disconcert Examples: Jacob was discomfited by his curious young son's forward, probing questions. "For more than two decades, the work of this British artist has dazzled and discomfited, seduced and unsettled, g...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 28, 2015 is: persiflage • \PER-suh-flahzh\  • noun : frivolous bantering talk : light raillery Examples: Since the final round ended sooner than expected, the quiz show host engaged in persiflage with the contestants until it was time to sign off. "The pleasant research I did for this story-in which coffee is equated with romance-led me to discover the f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2015 is: quiescent • \kwy-ESS-unt\  • adjective 1 : marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest 2 : causing no trouble or symptoms Examples: The alligator is deceptively quiescent on the sunny shore, watching its approaching prey, waiting for the moment to strike. "Measles made a modest comeback around 1990, and then fell quiescent-until the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 26, 2015 is: verdigris • \VER-duh-greess\  • noun : a green or bluish deposit formed on copper, brass, or bronze surfaces Examples: "Metals gain a rich … verdigris over time, looking better with age and weathering." - Maureen Gilmer, Biloxi (Mississippi) Sun Herald, January 16, 2015 "They are covering up not only the verdigris that developed on the coppe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 25, 2015 is: ulterior • \ul-TEER-ee-er\  • adjective 1 a : lying farther away : more remote b : situated on the farther side 2 : going beyond what is openly said or shown Examples: "While their campaign does shed light on an important issue, their good intentions are undercut by their ulterior motive, which is to make a profit." - Robert Lees, The Highla...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 24, 2015 is: jackanapes • \JAK-uh-nayps\  • noun 1 : monkey, ape 2 a : an impudent or conceited fellow b : a saucy or mischievous child Examples: Mrs. Hobson had her neighbor's son pegged as a disrespectful jackanapes and was therefore reluctant to hire him to shovel the driveway. "If I were still the rambunctious little jackanapes I once was, I would ha...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 23, 2015 is: obstinate • \AHB-stuh-nut\  • adjective 1 : perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion 2 : not easily overcome or removed Examples: As usual, Uncle Mitch remained obstinate in his opinion even though the facts were clearly stacked against him. "The obstinate 55-year-old tenant who refus...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 22, 2015 is: firebrand • \FYRE-brand\  • noun 1 : a piece of burning wood 2 : one that creates unrest or strife (as in aggressively promoting a cause) : agitator Examples: She's an activist who views herself as a relentless firebrand willing to stand up for her beliefs even when they are not popular. "Collins said Americans shouldn't just think of Malcol...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 21, 2015 is: expiate • \EK-spee-ayt\  • verb 1 : to extinguish the guilt incurred by 2 : to make amends for Examples: Though the editorial characterizes the mayor's failure to disclose the details of the meeting as a lapse that cannot be expiated, most citizens seem ready to forgive all. "The ethical ambiguity of Szuml's role as Sonderkommando-a 'gray zo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 20, 2015 is: zephyr • \ZEFF-er\  • noun 1 a : a breeze from the west b : a gentle breeze 2 : any of various lightweight fabrics and articles of clothing Examples: "There was not even a zephyr stirring; the dead noonday heat had even stilled the songs of the birds." - Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876 "Strangely enough, by the end of a Maine winter, a 32-degre...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 19, 2015 is: sprachgefühl • \SHPRAHKH-guh-fuel\  • noun 1 : the character of a language 2 : an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate Examples: One review of the book praised the author's sprachgefühl and her graceful, literary style. "Robert Dankoff patiently taught me Ottoman Turkish, attempting to instill in me Sprachgefühl, and careful...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 18, 2015 is: controvertible • \KAHN-truh-ver-tuh-bul\  • adjective : capable of being disputed or opposed by reason Examples: "A key piece of evidence was found at last: a copy of John of Balliol's words of homage and of feudal recognition to Edward I. Because these words had been formally drawn up by a notary public, they constituted firm and not-readil...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 17, 2015 is: inveigle • \in-VAY-gul\  • verb 1 : to win over by wiles : entice 2 : to acquire by ingenuity or flattery : wangle Examples: I was relieved when I finally managed to inveigle her assistant into fitting me into her schedule. "… but now the industry is headed down a path where more loathsome strategies are being put in place to inveigle consum...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 16, 2015 is: rhadamanthine • \rad-uh-MAN-thun\  • adjective : (often capitalized) rigorously strict or just Examples: The judge took the maliciousness of the crime into account and decided upon a rhadamanthine punishment. "Sometimes, she writes with incandescent hope; often, she manifests a disagreeable proclivity for passing Rhadamanthine judgment on us...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 15, 2015 is: huckster • \HUCK-ster\  • noun 1 : hawker, peddler 2 : one who produces promotional material for commercial clients especially for radio or television 3 : someone who sells or advertises something in an aggressive, dishonest, or annoying way Examples: Olivia protested futilely as her brother handed over his allowance to a huckster who was de...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 14, 2015 is: gibe • \JYBE\  • verb 1 : to utter taunting words 2 : to deride or tease with taunting words Examples: "I had read every piece he had written in the last five years. I playfully gibed him about obscure predictions he had made years ago in other articles, and was prepared to thoughtfully discuss his most recent column." - Keith Ferrazzi, Neve...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 13, 2015 is: nonage • \NAH-nij\  • noun 1 : minority 2 a : a period of youth b : lack of maturity Examples: "Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. … This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to use one's own mind without another's guidance." - Immanuel Kant, "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 12, 2015 is: mythomania • \mith-uh-MAY-nee-uh\  • noun : an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating Examples: The idea of trust is an important theme in the book; the reader is never sure of the extent of the protagonist's mythomania. "The pathological liar … cannot help lying, even when the lie causes harm. It is this aspect of mytho...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 11, 2015 is: lucrative • \LOO-kruh-tiv\  • adjective : producing wealth : profitable Examples: The company announced plans to expand its manufacturing operations soon after it won a lucrative contract with the government. "Many mistakenly believe they need to spend years in school … before they can start earning a decent salary; this is simply a misconce...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 10, 2015 is: panjandrum • \pan-JAN-drum\  • noun : a powerful personage or pretentious official Examples: Little gets done in this town without the approval of the local panjandrums on the board of selectmen. "Unexpectedly, this private sector panjandrum launched into a paean of praise for the public service ethos." - David Walker, The Guardian, January...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 9, 2015 is: apple-polish • \AP-ul-pah-lish\  • verb 1 : to attempt to ingratiate oneself : toady 2 : to curry favor with (as by flattery) Examples: "There still might be time to apple-polish the boss." - Garry Smits, Florida Times-Union, October 30, 2008 "One of the reasons unions (and step increases) exist is to eliminate cronyism or favoritism. No teac...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 8, 2015 is: fatidic • \fay-TID-ik\  • adjective : of or relating to prophecy Examples: I hope the dream I had last night about losing my wedding ring doesn't prove fatidic. "Shakespeare strews his plays with portents; Pushkin probes his life for fatidic dates; but no writer can have been more fascinated by patterns in time than Nabokov." - Brian Boyd, St...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 7, 2015 is: dyspepsia • \dis-PEP-shuh\  • noun 1 : indigestion 2 : ill humor : disgruntlement Examples: The meatball sandwich was delicious, but not worth the dyspepsia suffered because of it. "His Coughlin Sideline Scowl ought to be copyrighted. It's a perfect blend of dyspepsia, anger, frustration, and befuddlement. No one expresses displeasure any bet...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 6, 2015 is: eolian • \ee-OH-lee-un\  • adjective : borne, deposited, produced, or eroded by the wind Examples: The park is known for its eolian caves-chambers formed in sandstone cliffs by powerful winds. "Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits." - D. T. Vaniman et al., Science, December 9, 2013 Did you know? Whe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 5, 2015 is: ilk • \ILK\  • noun : sort, kind Examples: The hole beneath the stairs of the cabin's porch allows in squirrels, woodchucks, and other creatures of that ilk. "In many parts of the world, anyone who will ever buy a smartphone probably has done so, and now we're on to the steady business of buying a new one only when we break, lose, or need to...