Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2013 is: thwart • \THWORT\  • verb 1 a : to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle b : to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of 2 : to pass through or across Examples: At the end of the episode, the fleeing villain told the hero, "You may have thwarted me this time, but I'll be back." "But the union and its parent orga...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2013 is: éminence grise • \ay-mee-nahnss-GREEZ\  • noun 1 : a confidential agent; especially : one exercising unsuspected or unofficial power 2 : a respected authority; specifically : an elder statesman Examples: The seminar will be taught by a revered éminence grise of Civil War historians. "At 95, pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton ranks as the éminenc...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2013 is: lackadaisical • \lak-uh-DAY-zih-kul\  • adjective : lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid Examples: Feeling particularly lackadaisical in the summer heat, we lounged on the front porch drinking lemonade. "Malone will be tasked with reeling in a team of players who favor one-on-one basketball and often played lackadaisical defense." - From a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2013 is: phalanx • \FAY-lanks\  • noun 1 : a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files; broadly : a body of troops in close array 2 : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate 3 a : a massed arrangement of persons, animals, or things b : an organized body of persons Examples: A solid phalan...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2013 is: ephebic • \ih-FEE-bik\  • adjective : of, relating to, or characteristic of a youth of ancient Greece or a young man Examples: "Ephebic training included athletic instruction in the events which were contested in the Olympics and in the hundreds of other athletic contests of the eastern Mediterranean." - From a post by Dr. Jason Koenig at his...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2013 is: infantilize • \IN-fun-tye-lyze\  • verb 1 : to cause to be or remain like an infant or young child 2 : to treat like an infant or young child Examples: Even though Katie was a teenager, her grandmother still tended to infantilize her, bringing her dolls and other gifts more suitable for younger kids. "Although I don't approve of holier-than-th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2013 is: utile • \YOO-tul\  • adjective : useful Examples: Shaker crafts are simple, meticulously constructed, pleasing to the eye, and eminently utile, all at the same time. "One marvels that 12th-century engineers and builders were able to erect a structure that was both esthetically pleasing to the eye and functionally utile for the ages; after all,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2013 is: syllogism • \SIL-uh-jiz-um\  • noun 1 : a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion 2 : a subtle, specious, or crafty argument 3 : deductive reasoning Examples: Kelly could not prove it, but she suspected that her opponent's arguments were a series of sneaky syllogisms based on dubious "fa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2013 is: esplanade • \ESS-pluh-nahd\  • noun : a level open stretch of paved or grassy ground; especially : one designed for walking or driving along a shore Examples: The whole length of the esplanade was full of people who had secured prime viewing spots for the Fourth of July fireworks show. "On Monday, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2013 is: vouchsafe • \vowch-SAYF\  • verb 1 a : to grant or furnish often in a gracious or condescending manner b : to give by way of reply 2 : to grant as a privilege or special favor Examples: "Hear my cry, O God the Reader; vouchsafe that this my book fall not still-born into the world wilderness." - From W. E. B. DuBois' 1903 book The Souls of Blac...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2013 is: benedict • \BEN-ih-dikt\  • noun : a newly married man who has long been a bachelor Examples: There were several benedicts at our most recent high school reunion, but I was most surprised by Denny, who had vowed he'd never marry. "The late Joseph W. Sienkiewicz, who served on the town board from 1953 to 1957, was the last bachelor selectman to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2013 is: aghast • \uh-GAST\  • adjective : struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked Examples: Critics were aghast at how awful the play was. "As early as 1911, a pile-up of riders and horses during a horse race left Pendleton attorney and Round-Up organizer Roy Raley aghast and fearful that nobody would ever want to attend the Round-Up again....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2013 is: lenitive • \LEN-uh-tiv\  • adjective : alleviating pain or harshness : soothing Examples: Peppermint, chamomile, and ginger are all reputed to have a lenitive effect on the digestive system. "They sing of thunder and driving rain, upon occasion, but the lenitive electro pop of Canadian boy-girl duo Purity Ring is decidedly more calming." - Fr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2013 is: decoupage • \day-koo-PAHZH\  • noun 1 : the art of decorating surfaces by applying cutouts (as of paper) and then coating with usually several layers of finish (as lacquer or varnish) 2 : work produced by decoupage Examples: Her eye was drawn to a small table that had been decorated with decoupage. "Prized among vintage scouters, antique lugg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2013 is: risorgimento • \ree-zor-jih-MEN-toh\  • noun 1 : the 19th century movement for Italian political unity 2 : a time of renewal or renaissance : revival Examples: The musician's heirs hope the new biography and CD box set will spark a risorgimento of interest in the long-forgotten songwriter. "The daughter of a small grocer, [Margaret Thatcher]...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2013 is: perfervid • \per-FER-vid\  • adjective : marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion : excessively fervent Examples: The group's leaders have done little to distance themselves from the actions of their angrier and more perfervid followers. "Biron has struggled to make the Dostoevsky apartment a center for the perpetual and perfervid enthusi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2013 is: jerkwater • \JERK-waw-ter\  • adjective 1 : remote and unimportant 2 : trivial Examples: "We're stranded in some jerkwater town in the middle of nowhere," said Larry when he called to tell us that the car's engine had blown. "Hardworking and reserved, Jesse might use five words when the situation called for nine. The son of Mexican immigrants...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2013 is: inselberg • \IN-sul-berg\  • noun : an isolated mountain Examples: My favorite photograph in the collection is a breathtaking shot of a pride of lions set against a backdrop of a jutting inselberg. "Oke-Idanre hill consists of high plain with spectacular valleys interspersed with inselbergs of about 3,000 ft above sea level." - From an articl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2013 is: encroach • \in-KROHCH\  • verb 1 : to enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another 2 : to advance beyond the usual or proper limits Examples: Many argue that the city's increased surveillance of public spaces encroaches on the rights of individuals. "Under the existing municipal code, outdoor dining venues th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2013 is: monger • \MUNG-gur\  • noun 1 : broker, dealer - usually used in combination 2 : a person who attempts to stir up or spread something that is usually petty or discreditable - usually used in combination Examples: According to reports, the singer and actress were involved in a hot romance, but the rumormongers had it wrong-the two were just go...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2013 is: ransack • \RAN-sak\  • verb 1 a : to search thoroughly b : to examine closely and carefully 2 a : to search through to commit robbery b : to search through in a way that causes disorder or damage Examples: Robbers ransacked the apartment looking for money. "In a video posted on Youtube [sic] Monday, a troop of baboons appears to invade a hous...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2013 is: comely • \KUM-lee\  • adjective 1 : pleasurably conforming to notions of good appearance, suitability, or proportion 2 : having a pleasing appearance : not homely or plain Examples: The audition was filled with comely young men and women hoping to be the next face of the fashion industry. "The woman in black is an assassin, and, although he h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2013 is: peccant • \PEK-unt\  • adjective 1 : guilty of a moral offense : sinning 2 : violating a principle or rule : faulty Examples: Outside the confessional stood a short line of peccant parishioners waiting to seek redemption for their sins. "His own translation of Heinrich Heine’s 'A Woman' features a naughtily misbehaving protagonist and her pec...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2013 is: habiliment • \huh-BIL-uh-munt\  • noun 1 : characteristic apparatus : trappings 2 a : the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion - usually used in plural b : clothes - usually used in plural Examples: "My riches are these poor habiliments, / Of which if you should here disfurnish me, / You take the sum and substance that I have." -...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2013 is: harangue • \huh-RANG\  • noun 1 : a speech addressed to a public assembly 2 : a ranting speech or writing 3 : lecture Examples: The comedian's stand-up act consisted mostly of sharp harangues against celebrities and the media. "Every time I see one of these conspiracy types stand up and with great zeal launch into their harangue I'm reminded...