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 May 9, 2025 is:
gloss • \GLAHSS\ • verb
To gloss a word or phrase is to provide its meaning, or in other words, to explain or define it.
// Many unfamiliar terms are glossed in the book’s introduction.
Examples:
“It is revealing that early ...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2025 is:
modicum • \MAH-dih-kum\ • noun
Modicum is a formal word that means “a small amount.” It is almost always used with of.
// The band enjoyed a modicum of success in the early 2010s before becoming an international sensation.
Examp...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2025 is:
bumptious • \BUMP-shus\ • adjective
Bumptious describes people who are rudely and often noisily confident or over-assertive. It can also be applied to actions or behaviors that show this same attitude.
// Our host apologized for the bumptious party guest who...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2025 is:
exculpate • \EK-skull-payt\ • verb
To exculpate someone is to prove that they are not guilty of doing something wrong.
// The editorial expresses confidence that the evidence will exculpate the accused.
Examples:
“Resea...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2025 is:
plethora • \PLETH-uh-ruh\ • noun
Plethora refers to a very large amount or number of something. Plethora is most often used in the phrase "a plethora of."
// The hotel offers a plethora of amenities, including indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, and ...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2025 is:
risible • \RIZZ-uh-bul\ • adjective
Risible is a formal word used disapprovingly to describe things that deserve to be mocked or laughed at because they are absurd or unreasonable.
// Although the teachers derided the students’ slang as risible nonsense, the...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2025 is:
sleuth • \SLOOTH\ • verb
To sleuth is to carefully or methodically search for information, or to act as a detective.
// We spent hours at the flea market sleuthing for 19th century paintings.
Examples:
"To fill the market w...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2025 is:
ziggurat • \ZIG-uh-rat\ • noun
A ziggurat is an ancient Mesopotamian temple consisting of a pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top. The word ziggurat is also sometimes used for a similarly shaped structu...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2025 is:
convoluted • \KAHN-vuh-loo-tud\ • adjective
Something described as convoluted is very complicated and difficult to understand, or has many curves and turns.
// The speaker’s argument was so convoluted that most of the audience had trouble determining whether...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2025 is:
insouciance • \in-SOO-see-unss\ • noun
Insouciance is a formal word that refers to a feeling of carefree unconcern. It can also be understood as a word for the relaxed and calm state of a person who is not worried about anything.
// The young actor charm...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2020 is:
limpid \LIM-pid\ adjective
1 a : marked by transparency : pellucid
b : clear and simple in style
2 : absolutely serene and untroubled
Examples:
"She leaned toward him, entreaty in her eyes, and as he looked at her delicate face and into her pure, limpid eyes, as of old he was struck with his own unworthi...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2020 is:
anomaly \uh-NAH-muh-lee\ noun
1 : something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified : something anomalous
2 : deviation from the common rule : irregularity
3 : the angular distance of a planet from its perihelion as seen from the sun
Examples:
"Thermal Scanning uses intelligent thermal technol...
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