Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Free daily dose of word power from Merriam-Webster's experts
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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2025 is:
jaunty • \JAWN-tee\ • adjective
Something described as jaunty is lively in manner or appearance. Jaunty can also describe something, such as an article of clothing, that suggests a lively and confident quality.
// The server whistled a jaunty tune as ...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 17, 2025 is:
espouse • \ih-SPOWZ\ • verb
To espouse an ideology, belief, etc., is to take it up and support it as a cause. Espouse is usually encountered in formal speech and writing.
// The article explores some of the lesser-known viewpoints espoused by the chari...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2025 is:
conversant • \kun-VER-sunt\ • adjective
Conversant, usually used in the phrase "conversant with," describes someone who has knowledge of or experience with something.
// The ideal candidate for the sommelier position will have expert knowledge of the ...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 15, 2025 is:
dreidel • \DRAY-dul\ • noun
A dreidel is a 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top in a game of chance. The game, played by children especially at Hanukkah, is also called dreidel.
// All the kids in the family look forward to playin...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 14, 2025 is:
multitudinous • \mul-tuh-TOO-duh-nus\ • adjective
Multitudinous is a formal word with meanings that relate to multitudes. It can mean “existing in a great multitude”—that is, “very many”; or “including a multitude of individuals”; or “existing in or con...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2025 is:
alleviate • \uh-LEE-vee-ayt\ • verb
To alleviate something is to make it less painful, difficult, or severe. Alleviate can also mean "to partially remove or correct."
// There's no cure for the common cold, but there are various treatments that may all...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 12, 2025 is:
waggish • \WAG-ish\ • adjective
Waggish describes someone who is silly and playful, and especially someone who displays a mischievous sense of humor. The word can also describe things that such a person might do or possess.
// He had a waggish disposi...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 11, 2025 is:
leviathan • \luh-VYE-uh-thun\ • noun
Leviathan is a word with literary flair that can refer broadly to something very large and powerful, or more narrowly to a large sea animal, or a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy.
// Towering leviathans ...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 10, 2025 is:
grift • \GRIFT\ • verb
To grift is to use dishonest tricks to illegally take money or property.
// The email scammer shamelessly grifted thousands of dollars from unwitting victims.
Examples:
"When the families demande...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2025 is:
paltry • \PAWL-tree\ • adjective
Paltry is a formal word that can describe something that is very small or too small in amount, or something that has little meaning, importance, or worth.
// They're offering a paltry salary for the position.
// The pro...
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