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 June 28, 2025 is:
restive • \RES-tiv\ • adjective
Restive can describe a person or group feeling impatience or uneasiness, or it can describe someone who is stubbornly resistant to control.
// The audience grew increasingly restive as the speaker droned on and on.
// The s...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2025 is:
oblige • \uh-BLYJE\ • verb
To oblige a person or entity to do something is to require or force them to do it, either because of a law or rule, or because it is necessary. To simply oblige someone is to do them a favor.
// The law obliges the government t...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2025 is:
sumptuous • \SUMP-shuh-wus\ • adjective
Sumptuous is used to describe things that are very expensive, rich, luxurious, or magnificent.
// The celebratory meal was a sumptuous feast of dishes from our host’s homeland.
Examples:
...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2025 is:
flotsam • \FLAHT-sum\ • noun
Flotsam refers to the floating pieces that remain after a shipwreck, or more broadly to any floating debris or wreckage. It is also used figuratively to refer to miscellaneous or unimportant material, often in the phrase "flotsa...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2025 is:
noisome • \NOY-sum\ • adjective
Noisome is a formal and literary word used to describe things that are very unpleasant or disgusting; it is used especially to describe offensive smells. Noisome can also mean “highly obnoxious or objectionable” as in “we wer...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2025 is:
wherewithal • \WAIR-wih-thawl\ • noun
Wherewithal refers to the means, skills, resources, or money that is needed to get or do something.
// The company does not have the financial wherewithal to expand into other markets at this time.
...Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2025 is:
bemuse • \bih-MYOOZ\ • verb
If you are bemused by something, you are confused or bewildered by it, and often also somewhat amused.
// The contestant seemed somewhat bemused by the question, but gave the correct answer.
Example...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2025 is:
litmus test • \LIT-mus-TEST\ • noun
A litmus test is something (such as an opinion about a political or moral issue) that is used to make a judgment about whether someone or something is acceptable.
// At our family’s Thanksgiving dinner, the litmus test f...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2025 is:
convivial • \kun-VIV-ee-ul\ • adjective
Convivial means "relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company."
// A convivial atmosphere filled the gallery, with good food in abundance, and wine and conversation both flowing freely.
...Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2025 is:
emancipation • \ih-man-suh-PAY-shun\ • noun
Emancipation refers to the act of freeing someone from the restraint, control, or power of another. It is used especially for the act of freeing someone from slavery.
// Jomo Kenyatta played a key role in the ema...
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