Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.

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veracity

05.12.2021

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2021 is: veracity \vuh-RASS-uh-tee\ noun 1 : [conformity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conformity) with truth or fact : [accuracy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accuracy) 2 : devotion to the truth : [truthfulness](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truthfulness) 3 : power of conveying or perceiving truth 4 : ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day episodes:

05.12.2021 veracity Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2021 is: veracity \vuh-RASS-uh-tee\ noun 1 : [conformity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conformity) with truth or fact : [accuracy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accuracy) 2 : devotion to the truth : [truthfulness](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truthfulness) 3 : power of conveying or perceiving truth 4 : ...
05.11.2021 importunate Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2021 is: importunate \im-POR-chuh-nut\ adjective 1 : troublesomely urgent : overly persistent in request or demand 2 : [troublesome](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troublesome) Examples: "It seems apt that in the play's first scene, set at 6 ...
05.10.2021 shrive Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2021 is: shrive \SHRYVE\ verb 1 : to administer the sacrament of [reconciliation](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconciliation?show=0&t=1414588156) to 2 : to free from guilt Examples: "Once every three months, Pancho took his savings and drove into ...
05.09.2021 paean Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2021 is: paean \PEE-un\ noun 1 : a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph 2 : a work that praises or honors its subject : [encomium](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encomium), [tribute](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribute) Examples: ...
05.08.2021 frugal Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2021 is: frugal \FROO-gul\ adjective : characterized by or reflecting [economy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economy#h1) in the use of resources Examples: "Frugal diners might prefer hitting Ulrich's on Monday nights, when all burgers are $3 off. ...
05.07.2021 archipelago Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2021 is: archipelago \ahr-kuh-PEL-uh-goh\ noun 1 : an expanse of water with many scattered islands 2 : a group of islands 3 : something resembling an archipelago; especially : a group or ...
05.06.2021 deep-six Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2021 is: deep-six \DEEP-SIKS\ verb 1 : to get rid of : [discard](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discard), [eliminate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eliminate) 2 slang : to throw overboard Examples: Citing budget concerns, the city council announced that it has deep-sixed ...
05.05.2021 sprightly Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2021 is: sprightly \SPRYTE-lee\ adjective 1 : marked by a gay lightness and vivacity : [spirited](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirited) 2 : having a distinctively piquant taste : [zesty](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zesty) Examples: "It began with a sprightly melody, ...
05.04.2021 succumb Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2021 is: succumb \suh-KUM\ verb 1 : to yield to superior strength or force or overpowering appeal or desire 2 : to be brought to an end (such as death) by the ...
05.03.2021 conciliatory Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2021 is: conciliatory \kun-SILL-yuh-tor-ee\ adjective : tending to win over from a state of hostility or distrust : intended to gain the goodwill or favor of someone Examples: As the irate customer ...
05.02.2021 abjure Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2021 is: abjure \ab-JOOR\ verb 1 formal a : to renounce upon oath b : to reject solemnly 2 formal : to abstain from : [avoid](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avoid) Examples: "Pop was indeed eating itself. ...
05.01.2021 fustian Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2021 is: fustian \FUSS-chun\ noun 1 a : a strong cotton and linen fabric b : a class of cotton fabrics usually having a [pile](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile#h5) face and [twill](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twill) weave 2 : high-flown ...
04.30.2021 dross Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2021 is: dross \DRAHSS\ noun 1 : the scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of [molten](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/molten) metal 2 : waste or foreign matter : [impurity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impurity) 3 : something that ...
04.29.2021 amicable Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2021 is: amicable \AM-ih-kuh-bul\ adjective : characterized by friendly [goodwill](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goodwill) : [peaceable](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peaceable) Examples: "Those two weeks in the high country passed with the most amicable feeling between us, and it was not ...
04.28.2021 herald Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2021 is: herald \HAIR-uld\ verb 1 : to give notice of : [announce](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/announce) 2 a : to greet especially with enthusiasm : [hail](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hail#h3) b : [publicize](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publicize) 3 : to signal the approach ...
04.27.2021 rococo Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 27, 2021 is: rococo \ruh-KOH-koh\ adjective 1 a : of or relating to an artistic style especially of the 18th century characterized by fanciful curved asymmetrical forms and elaborate ornamentation b : of ...
04.26.2021 epicure Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 26, 2021 is: epicure \EP-ih-kyur\ noun : one with sensitive and discriminating tastes especially in food or wine Examples: "At the back of the shop, Atwell and his apprentice, former chef Ryan Perrier, ...
04.25.2021 clandestine Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 25, 2021 is: clandestine \klan-DESS-tun\ adjective : marked by, held in, or conducted with [secrecy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secrecy) : [surreptitious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surreptitious) Examples: "Salons have been shut down under stay-at-home orders to help prevent the spread of the ...
04.24.2021 impresario Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 24, 2021 is: impresario \im-pruh-SAHR-ee-oh\ noun 1 : the promoter, manager, or conductor of an opera or concert company 2 : a person who puts on or sponsors an entertainment (such as a ...
04.23.2021 bogart Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 23, 2021 is: bogart \BOH-gahrt\ verb 1 : to cause (someone) to do something by means of force or coercion : [bully](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bully#h2) 2 : to use the entirety of or consume without sharing ...
04.22.2021 ebullient Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 22, 2021 is: ebullient \ih-BULL-yunt\ adjective 1 : [boiling](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boiling), [agitated](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitated) 2 : characterized by [ebullience](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ebullience) : having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm Examples: "Coach Kristen Kirkman, who guided the Bulldogs' boys and girls, ...
04.21.2021 touchstone Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 21, 2021 is: touchstone \TUTCH-stohn\ noun 1 : a fundamental or quintessential part or feature : [basis](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basis) 2 : a test or criterion for determining the quality or genuineness of a thing 3 ...
04.20.2021 adulate Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2021 is: adulate \AJ-uh-layt\ verb 1 a : to praise effusively and slavishly : flatter excessively : fawn upon b : to pay homage to without exercising a critical sense of values ...
04.19.2021 chlamys Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 19, 2021 is: chlamys \KLAM-us\ noun : a short oblong [mantle](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mantle) worn by young men of ancient Greece Examples: "Perhaps her effect on him was as despotic and intoxicating as the poets claimed. ...
04.18.2021 forfend Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 18, 2021 is: forfend \for-FEND\ verb 1 a archaic : [forbid](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forbid) b : to ward off : [prevent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prevent) 2 : [protect](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protect), [preserve](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preserve) Examples: "All too often, the selfie is looked down upon with ...
04.17.2021 purloin Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 17, 2021 is: purloin \per-LOYN\ verb : to [appropriate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appropriate#h2) wrongfully and often by a breach of trust Examples: "A comfortable career of prosperity, if it does not make people honest, at least keeps ...
04.16.2021 lodestone Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 16, 2021 is: lodestone \LOHD-stohn\ noun 1 : [magnetite](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnetite) possessing [polarity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polarity) 2 : something that strongly attracts Examples: "… the city was a lodestone of rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues innovation." — [John Beifuss, The ...
04.15.2021 obstreperous Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 15, 2021 is: obstreperous \ub-STREP-uh-rus\ adjective 1 : marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness : [clamorous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clamorous) 2 : stubbornly resistant to control : [unruly](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unruly) Examples: "Throughout a long career, [Lawrence Ferlinghetti] showed courage, ...
04.14.2021 discomfit Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 14, 2021 is: discomfit \diss-KUM-fit\ verb 1 : to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment : [disconcert](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disconcert) 2 a : to frustrate the plans of : [thwart](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thwart) b archaic : to ...
04.13.2021 minatory Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 13, 2021 is: minatory \MIN-uh-tor-ee\ adjective : having a menacing quality Examples: "Then the squirrel seemed to notice Vinnie; to turn a minatory black eye toward him. The eye extended out from its ...
04.12.2021 gallant Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 12, 2021 is: gallant \GAL-unt\ adjective 1 : showy in dress or bearing : [smart](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smart) 2 a : [splendid](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splendid), [stately](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stately) b : [spirited](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirited), [brave](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brave) c : nobly chivalrous and often self-sacrificing 3 : ...
04.11.2021 drub Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 11, 2021 is: drub \DRUB\ verb 1 : to beat severely 2 : to [berate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berate) critically 3 : to defeat decisively Examples: Morale after the game was low: the hometown team had been ...
04.10.2021 fatuous Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 10, 2021 is: fatuous \FATCH-oo-us\ adjective : complacently or inanely foolish : [silly](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silly) Examples: "You would have to be an inattentive person never to have noticed the incongruity between the well-informed but fatuous ...
04.09.2021 vendetta Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 9, 2021 is: vendetta \ven-DET-uh\ noun 1 : a feud between different clans or families : [blood feud](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood%20feud) 2 : an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of ...
04.08.2021 savvy Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 8, 2021 is: savvy \SAV-ee\ verb : to [understand](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/understand) Examples: "The agency's Denver office sent Siringo, who savvied some Spanish, to Santa Fe." — Ollie Reed Jr., The Albuquerque (New Mexico) Tribune, 30 ...
04.07.2021 brusque Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 7, 2021 is: brusque \BRUSK\ adjective 1 : markedly short and abrupt 2 : blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness Examples: "'Where are you getting all this?' ...
04.06.2021 hoosegow Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 6, 2021 is: hoosegow \HOOSS-gow\ noun US, informal + humorous : [jail](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail) Examples: "Lee Young-ae stars as a woman released from prison after serving time for a murder she didn't commit; no sooner ...
04.05.2021 reputation Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 5, 2021 is: reputation \rep-yuh-TAY-shun\ noun 1 a : overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general b : recognition by other people of some characteristic or ability 2 ...
04.04.2021 hare Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 4, 2021 is: hare \HAIR\ verb : to go swiftly : [tear](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear#h1) Examples: "I was just in time to see a feller in motorcycle gear pull away from the wire and run down ...
04.03.2021 moxie Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 3, 2021 is: moxie \MAHK-see\ noun 1 : [energy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/energy), [pep](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pep) 2 : [courage](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courage), [determination](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/determination) 3 : [know-how](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/know-how) Examples: "On offense, the Giants need more speed, more talent, more explosive plays, more creativity, more ...
04.02.2021 pertain Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 2, 2021 is: pertain \per-TAYN\ verb 1 a (1) : to belong as a part, member, accessory, or product (2) : to belong as an attribute, feature, or function (3) : to belong ...
04.01.2021 wigged-out Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 1, 2021 is: wigged-out \WIGD-OUT\ adjective : mentally or emotionally discomposed : [upset](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upset), [crazy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crazy) Examples: "The idea that you might take a television drama very seriously is accepted now.… The difference with Buffy ...
03.31.2021 foist Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 31, 2021 is: foist \FOIST\ verb 1 a : to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant b : to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit 2 : to pass ...
03.30.2021 alacrity Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 30, 2021 is: alacrity \uh-LAK-ruh-tee\ noun : promptness in response : cheerful readiness Examples: "Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the late ...
03.29.2021 diffident Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 29, 2021 is: diffident \DIF-uh-dunt\ adjective 1 : [hesitant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hesitant) in acting or speaking through lack of [self-confidence](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-confidence) 2 : [reserved](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reserved), [unassertive](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unassertive) 3 archaic : [distrustful](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distrustful) Examples: Always diffident and soft-spoken, Tony did not ...
03.28.2021 exodus Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 28, 2021 is: exodus \EK-suh-dus\ noun 1 capitalized : the mainly narrative second book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture 2 : a mass departure : [emigration](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emigration) Examples: "Much has been made of ...
03.27.2021 reminisce Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2021 is: reminisce \rem-uh-NISS\ verb : to indulge in the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experiences Examples: After the official reunion dinner, the old friends gathered at a ...
03.26.2021 sesquipedalian Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 26, 2021 is: sesquipedalian \sess-kwuh-puh-DAIL-yun\ adjective 1 : having many syllables : [long](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long) 2 : using long words Examples: Jacob's editor advised him to pare away the sesquipedalian prose he favored and opt ...
03.25.2021 hobbit Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 25, 2021 is: hobbit \HAH-bit\ noun : a member of a fictitious peaceful and genial race of small humanlike creatures that dwell underground Examples: "The extensive pathways are lush with mossy carpets, gnarly ...
03.24.2021 quash Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 24, 2021 is: quash \KWAHSH\ verb : to nullify especially by judicial action Examples: "His appeal [of a zoning decision allowing the school to be built], which attorneys for the district and developer ...

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