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Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster

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00:01:47

cajole

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/12/02

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2025 is: cajole • \kuh-JOHL\ • verb To cajole someone is to use flattery or gentle urging to persuade them to do something or to give you something. Cajole can also mean “to deceive with soothing words or false promises.” It is often used with the word into. // She cajoled her partner into going to the party with her. // They hoped to cajole him into cooperating with local officials. See the entry >

en-us

00:01:39

pseudonym

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/12/01

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 1, 2025 is: pseudonym • \SOO-duh-nim\ • noun A pseudonym is a name that someone (such as a writer) uses instead of their real name. // bell hooks is the pseudonym of the American writer Gloria Jean Watkins. See the entry > Examples: “Edgar Wright, the filmmaker and genre specialist who has given the world modern gems like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Baby Driver, estimates he was

en-us

00:01:58

iconoclast

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/30

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2025 is:iconoclast • \eye-KAH-nuh-klast\ • noun Iconoclast originally referred to someone who destroys religious images or who opposes their veneration. It is now used to refer broadly to anyone who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted. // The comedian had developed a reputation as a contrarian and an iconoclast for whom no topic was off-limits. See the entry >

en-us

00:01:53

exculpatory

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/29

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 29, 2025 is: exculpatory • \ek-SKUL-puh-tor-ee\ • adjective Something described as exculpatory serves to prove that someone is not guilty of doing something wrong. // Their lawyer presented insurmountable exculpatory evidence at the trial. See the entry > Examples: “That agreement also requires prosecutors to implement new policies to prevent the misuse of informants, maintain records

en-us

00:01:54

sustain

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/28

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 28, 2025 is:sustain • \suh-STAYN\ • verb To sustain someone or something is to provide what is needed for that person or thing to exist or continue. Sustain also means "to hold up the weight of," "to suffer or endure," or "to confirm or prove." In legal contexts, to sustain something is to decide or state that it is proper, legal, or fair. // Hope sustained us during that difficult time. // The shed roof

en-us

00:02:18

cornucopia

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/27

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2025 is:cornucopia • \kor-nuh-KOH-pee-uh\ • noun A cornucopia, also known as a horn of plenty, is a curved, hollow goat’s horn or similarly shaped receptacle (such as a horn-shaped basket) that is overflowing, especially with fruit and vegetables. The image of a cornucopia is commonly used as decoration and as a symbol of abundance, but the word cornucopia is today more often encountered in its

en-us

00:02:03

unabashed

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/26

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2025 is:unabashed • \un-uh-BASHT\ • adjective Someone who is unabashed is not embarrassed or ashamed about openly expressing strong feelings or opinions. // Unabashed by their booing and hissing, the artist continued with the musical performance. See the entry > Examples: “Take the melodramatic storyline of a telenovela and tell it through the unabashed mediums of opera and drag, and

en-us

00:02:05

perdition

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/25

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 25, 2025 is: perdition • \per-DISH-un\ • noun Perdition refers to hell, or to the state of being in hell forever as punishment after death—in other words, damnation. It is usually used figuratively. // Dante’s Inferno details the main character’s journey through perdition. // It’s this kind of selfishness that leads down the road to perdition. See the entry > Examples: “AC/DC has been

en-us

00:02:03

amalgamate

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/24

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2025 is: amalgamate • \uh-MAL-guh-mayt\ • verb Amalgamate is a formal verb meaning "to unite (two or more things) into one thing." // The school district has proposed amalgamating the two high schools. See the entry > Examples: "Ten years ago, there were 339 credit unions in Ireland, but that is down to 187, according to Central Bank figures. Part of the rationale for credit unions

en-us

00:02:00

desolate

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/23

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2025 is:desolate • \DESS-uh-lut\ • adjective Desolate describes places that lack people, plants, animals, etc., that make people feel welcome in a place; desolate places are, in other words, deserted or barren. Desolate can also mean “joyless” or “gloomy.” // We drove for hours along a desolate stretch of road until finally a lone gas station appeared in the middle of nowhere. See the entry >

en-us

00:02:26

metonymy

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/22

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2025 is: metonymy • \muh-TAH-nuh-mee\ • noun Metonymy refers to a figure of speech in which a word that is associated with something is used to refer to the thing itself, as when crown is used to mean “king” or “queen.” // Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood are common examples of metonymy. See the entry > Examples: “The stick used to command the crowd is called a ‘brigadier.’

en-us

00:01:46

bloviate

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/21

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2025 is:bloviate • \BLOH-vee-ayt\ • verb To bloviate is to speak or write in an arrogant tone and with more words than are necessary. // The podcaster tends to bloviate endlessly on topics about which he is not particularly knowledgeable. See the entry > Examples: "While other characters bloviate about their lives, Barbara is a much more internal character, her quietness making her

en-us

00:02:14

gauche

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/20

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 20, 2025 is:gauche • \GOHSH\ • adjective Gauche describes someone or something having or showing a lack of awareness about the proper way to behave. When describing a person or a behavior, gauche can mean “socially awkward” or “tactless”; when describing an object (such as a product with a vulgar image or slogan on it) it can mean “crudely made or done.” // Some people view giving cash in lieu of a

en-us

00:01:55

serendipity

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/19

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 19, 2025 is:serendipity • \sair-un-DIP-uh-tee\ • noun Serendipity refers to luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for, or to an instance of such luck. // They found each other by pure serendipity. See the entry > Examples: “For new music, I rely on ... radio shows like ‘Late Junction,’ straight-up luck and serendipity, and my wife, who has

en-us

00:01:49

eccentric

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/18

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2025 is: eccentric • \ik-SEN-trik\ • adjective Eccentric usually describes people and things that deviate from conventional or accepted usage or behavior, especially in odd or whimsical ways. It is also used technically to mean "deviating from a circular path" and "located elsewhere than at the geometric center." // He's an endearingly eccentric scientist whose methods are quite inventive. // The

en-us

00:02:31

crucible

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/17

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2025 is: crucible • \KROO-suh-bul\ • noun A crucible, in the word’s literal use, is a pot in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted. But crucible is more often encountered in figurative use referring to a difficult test or challenge, or to a place or situation that forces people to change or make difficult decisions. // The bronze was heated to 2,100 degrees

en-us

00:02:21

writhe

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/16

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 16, 2025 is:writhe • \RYTHE\ • verb To writhe is to twist one’s body from side to side. The word is often used when the body or a bodily part is twisting in pain. // The injured player lay on the football field, writhing in pain. // At the instruction of their teacher, the children rolled the fallen log aside to reveal worms and other small critters writhing in the soft earth. See the entry >

en-us

00:02:00

radial

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/15

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2025 is: radial • \RAY-dee-ul\ • adjective Radial describes things that are arranged or have parts arranged in straight lines coming out from the center of a circle. // Her mosaics echo radial patterns observed in nature, from succulents to sea urchins. See the entry > Examples: "Inspired by flowers that grow organically, the project transforms organic patterns into space

en-us

00:01:48

heyday

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/14

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 14, 2025 is: heyday • \HAY-day\ • noun Heyday refers to the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity. It is usually used in the singular. // In its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for the small town. See the entry > Examples: "In its heyday, there were more than 200 Chi-Chi's nationwide; the last restaurant closed in 2004." — Nicole Hvidsten, The

en-us

00:02:19

peremptory

Merriam-Webster"s Word of the Day ·

2025/11/13

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 13, 2025 is: peremptory • \puh-REMP-tuh-ree\ • adjective Peremptory is a formal word used especially in legal contexts to describe an order, command, etc., that requires immediate compliance with no opportunity to show why one should not comply. It is also used disapprovingly to describe someone with an arrogant attitude, or something indicative of such an attitude. // The soldiers were given a peremptory

en-us

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