Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2014 is: rutilant • \ROO-tuh-lunt\  • adjective : having a reddish glow Examples: We all sat quietly around the campfire, each person's rutilant face mesmerized by the crackling flame. "I watched him with envy. He was tall and thin, having outgrown his pudge, while I was still layered with baby fat, rutilant cheeks glowing like apples." - From Doug...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2014 is: conflate • \kun-FLAYT\  • verb 1 a : to bring together : fuse b : confuse 2 : to combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole Examples: The professor warned us to be careful not to conflate the two similar theories. "Some people are bound to conflate your onscreen character Marie with your real-life self." - From an interview...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 26, 2014 is: visage • \VIZ-ij\  • noun 1 : the face, countenance, or appearance of a person or sometimes an animal 2 : aspect, appearance Examples: The model's severe, smoldering visage appears to gaze with contempt from billboards throughout the city. "The image that best sums up this disastrous Knicks season lies right there on the sidelines, on the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 25, 2014 is: stymie • \STYE-mee\  • verb : to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of Examples: Progress on the project has been stymied by lack of funds. "Even the town's initiatives couldn't stop someone from buying Wagner's land and developing it with houses. The only safeguards lie in the forest's marshes and hills that might stymie much devel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24, 2014 is: acephalous • \ay-SEF-uh-lus\  • adjective 1 : lacking a head or having the head reduced 2 : lacking a governing head or chief Examples: Having no head capsule, the larva is acephalous. "Mouskas believes there is ample room to improve the Cyprus shipping registry including appointing a director at the Department of Merchant Shipping (DMS),...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 23, 2014 is: pratfall • \PRAT-fawl\  • noun 1 : a fall on the buttocks 2 : a humiliating mishap or blunder Examples: "I didn't really fall! I was doing a silly pratfall, and the press said I actually fell over, but I didn't. Just one of my clowning things." - From an interview with Emma Thompson in Newsday, December 11, 2013 "For the last two months, o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 22, 2014 is: jaunty • \JAWN-tee\  • adjective : sprightly in manner or appearance : lively Examples: Flashbulbs lit up the scene as the bubbly actress sashayed down the red carpet, wearing a jaunty little headpiece that complemented her airy designer gown. "As Soapy Smith, a homeless guy down on his luck, his ability to recreate every aspect of this ja...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 21, 2014 is: melancholia • \mel-un-KOH-lee-uh\  • noun : a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions; broadly : a feeling of sadness and depression Examples: "As the debates about the future shape of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 20, 2014 is: zany • \ZAY-nee\  • noun 1 : a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal 2 : one who acts the buffoon to amuse others 3 : a foolish, eccentric, or crazy person Examples: My brother's friends are an unpredictable bunch of zanies. "The Man … invites us to listen in as he plays his cherish...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 19, 2014 is: ubiquitous • \yoo-BIK-wuh-tus\  • adjective : existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread Examples: The band's catchy new song is ubiquitous-I seem to hear it everywhere I go. "Blackberry, once the darling of business and ubiquitous in every meeting, is being replaced as other devices move in offerin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2014 is: hoopla • \HOO-plah\  • noun 1 : excited commotion : to-do 2 : exaggerated or sensational promotion or publicity Examples: In my opinion, the movie didn't live up to the hoopla surrounding it. "There was no formal introduction, no hoopla as the leading scorer in Maryland men's basketball history took a seat behind the bench for the first ti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 17, 2014 is: ostentatious • \ah-stun-TAY-shus\  • adjective : marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display Examples: Now that he has money, Edwin wears expensive designer clothes, drives an ostentatious car, and frequents the trendiest upscale nightclubs. "'Washingtonians are more understated in their style,' says...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2014 is: gaffer • \GAF-er\  • noun 1 a : an old man - compare gammer 2 British b : foreman, overseer c : employer 2 : a head glassblower 3 : a lighting electrician on a motion-picture or television set Examples: Before the first day of shooting, the gaffer spent several days setting up all the lights. "Meanwhile, almost a hundred crew members, gaff...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2014 is: chinoiserie • \sheen-wah-zuh-REE\  • noun : a style in art (as in decoration) reflecting Chinese qualities or motifs; also : an object or decoration in this style Examples: We admired our host's daring taste in home décor, which combined spare modern elements with chinoiserie. "Bamboo chairs vie with 19th-century lacquered armoires, nooks...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2014 is: wangle • \WANG-gul\  • verb 1 : to resort to trickery or devious methods 2 : to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends 3 : to make or get by devious means : finagle Examples: Somehow, Irene managed to wangle front-row tickets and backstage passes for the concert. "He quits his job, wangling a huge pay-off by blackmailing his...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2014 is: belfry • \BEL-free\  • noun 1 : a bell tower; especially : one surmounting or attached to another structure 2 : a room or framework for enclosing a bell 3 : head Examples: "Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be…." -- From...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2014 is: jilt • \JILT\  • verb : to drop (someone, such as a lover) capriciously or unfeelingly Examples: The song is about a woman who jilts her beloved for another man, only to realize she has made a terrible mistake. "A Georgia court ruled that a man who jilted his fiancée is liable for $50,000 in damages." - From an article by Robert W. Wood in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2014 is: toady • \TOH-dee\  • noun : one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors Examples: The editorial unfairly characterizes the appointee as one of the mayor's toadies, ignoring her long record of unselfish service to the community. "But, Stan and his toady never actually laid a finger on me and the threats ceased as mysteriously and suddenl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2014 is: nonchalant • \nahn-shuh-LAHNT\  • adjective : having an air of easy unconcern or indifference Examples: The most experienced public speakers are able to address audiences with a nonchalant ease. "When an accomplice accidentally kills a man, the gang's first casualty, it's Bonnie who is nonchalant." - From a television review on Slate.com b...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 9, 2014 is: plastron • \PLASS-trun\  • noun 1 a : a metal breastplate formerly worn under the hauberk b : a quilted pad worn in fencing practice to protect the chest, waist, and the side on which the weapon is held 2 : the ventral part of the shell of a tortoise or turtle 3 a : a trimming like a bib for a woman's dress b : a man's separate or detachabl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 8, 2014 is: fraught • \FRAWT\  • adjective 1 : full of or accompanied by something specified - used with "with" 2 : causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension : uneasy Examples: The new treatment is regarded as promising but fraught with potential side effects. "Parents from some cultures are not as comfortable reading with their childre...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7, 2014 is: coax • \KOHKS\  • verb 1 : to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : wheedle 2 : to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery 3 : to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activity Examples: Stem cells can be cultured to divide and then coaxed to t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 6, 2014 is: behest • \bih-HEST\  • noun 1 : an authoritative order : command 2 : an urgent prompting Examples: At the manager's behest, several of us stayed to work late so that we could finish the project ahead of the deadline. "They say the constitutional separation of powers blocks the panel-created at the governor's behest-from policing the legisla...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 5, 2014 is: scrutinize • \SKROO-tuh-nyze\  • verb : to examine closely and minutely Examples: The new $100 bill has enough novel security features that the urge to scrutinize it will likely be irresistible to most people upon encountering it for the first time. "After being scrutinized by City Council and local businesses, several designs for the Santa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 4, 2014 is: mimesis • \muh-MEE-sis\  • noun : imitation, mimicry Examples: Later on in her life, the painter became less interested in mimesis and began to experiment in styles of abstraction. "It is four million years ago. The great apes emerged. Their brains were large enough to give them cognitive capacities that exceeded other species of animals. T...