))
Free daily dose of word power from Merriam-Webster's experts
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 2, 2023 is: portend • \por-TEND\ • verb Portend is usually used in formal and literary contexts as a verb meaning “to give a sign or warning that something is going to happen.” The “something” in question is often, though not always, considered bad or unpleasant. // Many superstitious people believe th…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 2, 2023 is: portend \por-TEND\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 1, 2023 is: eleemosynary • \el-ih-MAH-suh-nair-ee\ • adjective Eleemosynary means "of, relating to, or supported by charity." // She used her inheritance to establish and fund several eleemosynary institutions. See the entry > Examples: "I would not want you to think that Grady Thrasher is not a seriou…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2023 is: savant • \sa-VAHNT\ • noun Savant is a formal word that refers to a learned person, especially someone with detailed knowledge about a particular subject. The word is also used to refer to a person affected with a developmental disorder who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in a part…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2023 is: savant \sa-VAHNT\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 30, 2023 is: adapt • \uh-DAPT\ • verb To adapt is to make or become fit (as for a new use) often by modification. // When people move to a new country, it can take them a while to adapt. // The teachers adapted the curriculum so that students of all abilities will benefit from it. See the entry > Exampl…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 30, 2023 is: adapt \uh-DAPT\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 29, 2023 is: rubric • \ROO-brik\ • noun Rubric is a somewhat formal word that is most often used to mean “an established rule, tradition, or custom” or “something under which a thing is classed.” In the latter use it is a synonym of category. // Despite their widely divergent tones and levels of age app…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2023 is: doctrinaire • \dahk-truh-NAIR\ • adjective Doctrinaire is a formal word that means “stubbornly or excessively devoted to a doctrine or theory without regard to practical considerations.” It is often used disapprovingly to describe a person who has very strong beliefs about what should be do…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2023 is: wangle • \WANG-gul\ • verb Wangle means “to get (something) by trickery or persuasion.” It can also mean “to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends.” // He managed to wangle his way into the party. // They wangled me into pleading guilty. See the entry > Examples: “Discussions…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2023 is: wangle \WANG-gul\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 26, 2023 is: knackered • \NAK-erd\ • adjective Knackered is an adjective mostly used informally in British English to mean “very tired or exhausted.” // Unfortunately, I was too knackered after work to join them for dinner. See the entry > Examples: “[Jonathan] Smith played world-class tennis in the Gra…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 25, 2023 is: marginalia • \mahr-juh-NAY-lee-uh\ • noun Marginalia is a plural noun that refers to notes or other marks written in the margins of a text, and to nonessential matters or items. // The students loved flipping through their literature textbooks to find the marginalia left behind by former st…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24, 2023 is: balkanize • \BAWL-kuh-nyze\ • verb Balkanize is an often-capitalized verb meaning "to break up (a region, a group, etc.) into smaller and often hostile units." It can also mean "to divide or compartmentalize." // Opponents argue that the proposed legislation would only serve to Balkanize th…
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24, 2023 is: balkanize \BAWL-kuh-nyze\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 23, 2023 is: endemic \en-DEM-ik\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 22, 2023 is: short shrift \SHORT-SHRIFT\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 21, 2023 is: exacerbate \ig-ZASS-er-bayt\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 20, 2023 is: vulpine \VUL-pine\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 19, 2023 is: misanthrope \MISS-un-throhp\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2023 is: implacable \im-PLAK-uh-bul\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 17, 2023 is: hoodwink \HOOD-wink\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2023 is: paladin \PAL-uh-din\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2023 is: névé \nay-VAY\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2023 is: recondite \REK-un-dyte\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
