Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2019 is: heterodox \HET-uh-ruh-dahks\ adjective 1 : contrary to or different from an acknowledged standard, a traditional form, or an established religion : unorthodox , unconventional 2 : holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines Examples: "His heterodox moves have been the ones requiring most careful explanation on social media. He bucks his part...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2019 is: fortitude \FOR-tuh-tood\ noun : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage Examples: "She showed fortitude in 2013, when the restaurant, known for its cheery pink exterior, had a major fire. The taqueria soon reopened with a new, brick exterior and the same great food, and Perez said...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 20, 2019 is: expedite \EK-spuh-dyte\ verb 1 : to accelerate the process or progress of : speed up 2 : to execute promptly 3 : issue , dispatch Examples: To expedite the processing of your request, please include your account number on all documents. "The task force stemmed from an executive order issued earlier this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis that said...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 19, 2019 is: recondite \REK-un-dyte\ adjective 1 : difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend : deep 2 : of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure 3 : hidden from sight : concealed Examples: "Ocampo (1903-1993) is a legend of Argentinian literature, and this collection of her short sto...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2019 is: mot juste \moh-ZHEWST\ noun : the exactly right word or phrasing Examples: "At best, thesauruses are mere rest stops in the search for the mot juste . Your destination is the dictionary." — John McPhee, The New Yorker , 29 Apr. 2013 "My most potent talisman is the late Ted Hughes' impressive writing lectern … which I bought last year at a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2019 is: carouse \kuh-ROWZ ("OW" as in 'cow')\ verb 1 : to drink liquor freely or excessively 2 : to take part in a drunken revel : engage in dissolute behavior Examples: Each fall the campus newspaper runs an editorial urging students to recognize that studying and getting involved in official campus activities benefits them far more than carousi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 16, 2019 is: officious \uh-FISH-us\ adjective 1 : volunteering one's services where they are neither asked nor needed : meddlesome 2 : informal , unofficial Examples: "There are too many yellow flags being thrown around the NFL. Whether it's too many rules or too many officious officials, it's gotten ridiculous." — Brent Musburger, The Las Vegas Revie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2019 is: white elephant \WYTE-EL-uh-funt\ noun 1 : a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit 2 : an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others 3 : something of little or no value Examples: "The white elephant exchange—aka dirty Santa, aka Yankee swap—has many names and many, many rules.… Guests arrive...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 14, 2019 is: incongruous \in-KAHN-gruh-wus\ adjective : lacking congruity : as a : not harmonious : incompatible b : not conforming : disagreeing c : inconsistent within itself d : lacking propriety : unsuitable Examples: The sight of a horse and carriage amongst the cars on the road was a bit incongruous . "The gunplay scene was so incongruous with t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 13, 2019 is: gambit \GAM-bit\ noun 1 : a chess opening in which a player risks one or more pawns or a minor piece to gain an advantage in position 2 a (1) : a remark intended to start a conversation or make a telling point (2) : topic b : a calculated move : stratagem Examples: "The tournament, first held in 1934, was Roberts's gambit for attract...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 12, 2019 is: bruit \BROOT\ verb : report , rumor — usually used with about Examples: "Analysts have bruited about the notion that Comcast and Disney might team up and divide Fox's assets to prevent a drawn-out bidding war—a turn of events that Mr. Iger has dismissed." — Edmund Lee, The New York Times , 20 June 2018 "In the new bio-pic 'Judy,' Renée Ze...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 11, 2019 is: armistice \AHR-muh-stus\ noun : temporary stopping of open acts of warfare by agreement between the opponents : truce Examples: The Korean War ended with an armistice signed in July of 1953, though a permanent peace accord was never reached. "[Ralph] Bunche, a Howard University professor, was an African-American scholar and diplomat who a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 10, 2019 is: teleological \tel-ee-uh-LAH-jih-kul\ adjective : exhibiting or relating to design or purpose especially in nature Examples: "The standard story about mass printing is a story of linear, teleological progress. It goes like this: Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, books were precious objects, handwritten by scribes and a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 9, 2019 is: aphorism \noun\ AF-uh-riz-um 1 : a concise statement of a principle 2 : a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage 3 : an ingeniously terse style of expression Examples: "Michael sighed…. He had known that his mother had told Gina that cryptic aphorism , but he'd long since forgotten and could not think why it had any particular s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 8, 2019 is: lyric \LEER-ik\ adjective 1 a : suitable for singing to the lyre or for being set to music and sung b : of, relating to, or being drama set to music; especially : operatic 2 a : expressing direct usually intense personal emotion especially in a manner suggestive of song b : exuberant , rhapsodic 3 of an opera singer : having a light voice...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 7, 2019 is: espouse \ih-SPOWZ\ verb 1 : marry   2 : to take up and support as a cause : become attached to Examples: "Tradition associates [the period of the Lyrid meteor showers] with the Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius , one of the first to espouse the principle: 'Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.'" — The Tele...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 6, 2019 is: chilblain \CHIL-blayn\ noun : an inflammatory swelling or sore caused by exposure (as of the feet or hands) to cold Examples: "If you thought chilblains only belonged in 19th century novels, think again. They crop up in response to extreme cold…. You're more likely to get chilblains in extreme weather through sitting in an under-heated hou...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 5, 2019 is: posthaste \POHST-HAYST\ adverb : with all possible speed Examples: "You must leave posthaste ," Virginia theatrically admonished her guests, "or you'll miss your ferry!" "These goats show almost nothing of the skittishness that we tend to expect of wild, hoofed mammals such as deer and elk, which almost always flee posthaste the instant th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 4, 2019 is: sobriquet \SOH-brih-kay\ noun : a descriptive name or epithet : nickname Examples: "As a member of Congress, he voted against so many bills that he earned the 'Dr. No' sobriquet …." — Ben Terris, The Washington Post , 3 Sept. 2019 "[H]e had a rather flightly and dissolute mode of conversing, and furthermore avowed that among his intimate f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 3, 2019 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: "Ruth didn't think of herself as the kind of person who cared deeply about the outcome of a game played by fifth graders … but even she found it impossible not to get...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 2, 2019 is: dilapidated \duh-LAP-uh-day-tud\ adjective : decayed , deteriorated , or fallen into partial ruin especially through neglect or misuse Examples: Although extensive renovations would be needed to convert the dilapidated warehouse into apartments, Sam still thought it was a sound investment. "The 11-by-16-foot room is a sun-washed garret , t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 1, 2019 is: apocryphal \uh-PAH-kruh-ful\ adjective 1 : of doubtful authenticity : spurious 2 often capitalized Apocryphal : of or resembling the Apocrypha Examples: "The first official sighting of the creature dates from 1912, although apocryphal stories have the monster overturning the canoe of a Quapaw Indian and sinking a Confederate gunboat during...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 31, 2019 is: phantasm \FAN-taz-um\ noun 1 : a product of fantasy: as a : delusive appearance : illusion b : ghost , specter c : a figment of the imagination 2 : a mental representation of a real object Examples: "In each maze, you will follow in the footsteps of the Ghostbusters—Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston—as they venture through recreated scenes from...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 30, 2019 is: respite \RESS-pit\ noun 1 : a period of temporary delay 2 : an interval of rest or relief Examples: The station's meteorologist had predicted that the bad weather would continue throughout the week without respite . "Such small, shady public spaces provide a welcome respite from busy street life and enhance the livability of the city." — D...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 29, 2019 is: lackadaisical \lak-uh-DAY-zih-kul\ adjective : lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid Examples: "What used to be a bar with barely passable food, boring décor and lackadaisical service has a new incarnation. Everything has been improved, starting with its transformation into a lively tavern with a menu of popular comfort foods, as well as...