Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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  1. hace 2 h

    implacable

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2026 is: implacable • \im-PLAK-uh-bul\  • adjective Someone or something described as implacable is not capable of being appeased or changed. // The project faced implacable resistance from community members, and is now off the table. See the entry > Examples: “Unlike, say, the globetrotting stories of Ian Fleming or John le Carré, in which victories only temporarily frustrate an implacable foe, [Agatha] Christie’s smaller worlds feel put right when the cover closes or credits roll.” — The Economist, 17 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Implacable is rooted in the Latin verb placare, meaning “to soothe,” but its im- prefix is a variant of the negating prefix in- (as in inactive) and it signals that there’s nothing warm and fuzzy here. Someone or something described as implacable cannot be soothed, which usually means trouble: implacable is most often attached to words like foe, enemy, hatred and hostility. The opposite of implacable is, of course, placable; it means “easily soothed,” but sadly isn’t called upon very often. Another placare word is likely more familiar. Placate means “to soothe or appease”; it’s frequently applied when an angry person is made to feel less so.

    2 min

  2. hace 1 día

    fulcrum

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2026 is: fulcrum • \FULL-krum\  • noun In technical use, fulcrum refers to the support on which a lever moves when it is used to lift something. In figurative use, fulcrum refers to a person or thing that makes it possible for something to function or develop, or in other words, one who plays an essential role in something. // Although the lead actor was phenomenal, critics suggested that the supporting cast was the real fulcrum of the show. See the entry > Examples: “The moral fulcrum of Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, in which a scholar gains knowledge and power through a demonic pact, is a relatively straightforward statement on the human condition.” — Eric Olson, Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026 Did you know? The Latin word fulcrum, which refers to the head or back support of a couch, comes from the verb fulcīre, which means “to prop, support.” When fulcrum was first used in English in the 17th century, it referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. The literal use easily supported figurative use, and it didn’t take long for the word to develop a meaning referring to one deemed essential to the function or development of something. Despite fulcrum’s multiple senses, the word's meanings have kept a steady theme. In zoology, fulcrum refers to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird’s wing.

    2 min

  3. hace 2 días

    xeric

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2026 is: xeric • \ZEER-ik\  • adjective Xeric means "characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture." // She is a botanist who primarily studies xeric plants. See the entry > Examples: "Thoughtfully designed xeric, or low-water, landscapes can be dynamic, layered and full of color. Native plants and those adapted to the Intermountain West ... provide habitat and food for pollinators and birds while needing a fraction of the water that bluegrass demands." — Pula Davis and Scott Curry, The Colorado Springs Gazette, 16 May 2026 Did you know? Few English words begin with the letter X, but of those that do, a number come from the Greek xēros, meaning "dry." Around the turn of the 20th century, botanists were using the terms xerophyte and xerophytic for plants that were well adapted to survive without much water. But when seeking a more generic word that included both animals and plants, they came up, ahem, dry. In a 1926 issue of Ecology, specialists proposed using xeric as a more generalized term for either flora or fauna. They further suggested that xerophytic, among other terms, "be entirely abandoned as useless and misleading." Not everyone liked the idea. In fact, the Ecological Society of America stated that xeric was "not desirable," preferring terms such as arid. Others declared that the word should refer only to habitats, not to organisms. Enough scientists used it anyway, however, that by the 1940s xeric was well documented in scientific literature.

    2 min

  4. hace 3 días

    effulgence

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2026 is: effulgence • \ih-FULL-junss\  • noun Effulgence means “radiant splendor” or “brilliance.” // Guests oohed and aahed at the sudden effulgence of the pagoda, as the last of its hundreds of candles were finally lit. See the entry > Examples: “No one knows who suggested that the building be lit at night. But the obvious inspiration was Times Square, an area famous for its nighttime effulgence.” — Robert Sharoff, FastCompany.com, 7 July 2025 Did you know? Need a shiny word to bust out at your next disco party, planetarium visit, or fireworks gathering? How about effulgence? It’s not a shiny “new” word, having made its English language debut in the 17th century, but it’s unusual and has a lovely Latin pedigree: the verb fulgēre, meaning “to shine.” Effulgence isn’t used for bog-standard brightness, however; it’s reserved for shininess that dazzles, inspires, leaves you gobsmacked—in other words, “radiant splendor.”

    2 min

  5. hace 4 días

    tacit

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2026 is: tacit • \TASS-it\  • adjective Tacit is a formal adjective used to describe something that is expressed or understood without being directly stated. // As roommates, we had a tacit agreement that we would never pry into each other’s affairs. See the entry > Examples: “Where modern documentaries are slick productions filled with preconceived notions, embedded narratives, and tacit approval of their subjects, [Frederick] Wiseman’s work is slow, contemplative, and refreshingly slant-free.” — Kevin Slane, Boston.com, 24 Feb. 2026 Did you know? In the first chapter of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, the narrator Mr. Lockwood recounts warily encountering three dogs. Although he was sure to sit still, he admits that “imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults, I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio” (one subsequently leapt onto his knees in fury). His tacit insults were, by the relevant definition of tacit, not expressed with words (instead he used facial expressions). Tacit can also mean “implied or indicated (as by an act or by silence) but not expressed,” as when a tacit agreement is understood without being directly stated, and tacit approval is silently granted. Tacit traces back to the Latin verb tacēre, meaning “to be silent,” which is also the ancestor of the English adjective taciturn, used to describe someone who tends to be quiet.

    2 min

  6. hace 5 días

    gambol

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2026 is: gambol • \GAM-bul\  • verb Gambol means "to run or jump in a lively way." It is used as a synonym of frolic. // There are few sights more charming than that of lambs gamboling about in a meadow in full flower. See the entry > Examples: "There's also charming footage of a couple gamboling in Central Park that might be some of the first scenes Warhol ever shot ... They're so lighthearted and playful, they're more in the spirit of his jaunty commercial drawings from the 1950s than of the deadpan Pop Art he was just then perfecting." — Blake Gopnik, The New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026 Did you know? In Middle French, the noun gambade referred to the frisky spring of a jumping horse. In the early 1500s, its influence leapt into English twice, lending a playful bounce to both noun and verb forms of gambol. (The noun means "a skipping or leaping about in play.") Neither English word is restricted to horses, but rather can be used of any frolicsome creature. The more common of the two, the verb, suggests levity and spontaneity, and it tends to be used especially of the lively activity of children or animals engaged in active play.

    2 min

  7. hace 6 días

    perfunctory

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2026 is: perfunctory • \per-FUNK-tuh-ree\  • adjective Perfunctory is a formal word used to describe something that is done without energy or enthusiasm because of habit or because it is expected. // By the time my favorite band got to the last stop of the tour, their performance felt perfunctory. See the entry > Examples: “Even a perfunctory ending can’t take away from the film’s fiery commitment to bearing witness to misogyny’s bitter fruit. Harris’ vision as a first-time filmmaker is crystal clear, and Is God Is already feels timeless, like a parable that could have been written decades ago, and will be handily passed down as pointed social critique for decades to come.” — Aisha Harris, NPR, 15 May 2026 Did you know? A perfunctory explanation of the origins of perfunctory would be this: it comes from Latin. But given our passion for language, we can’t resist giving you all the details. Borrowed in the late 16th century, the word is specifically from the Late Latin perfunctorius, meaning “done in a careless or superficial manner.” Perfunctorius traces back to a form of perfungi (“to accomplish, perform, get through with”) and ultimately comes from two Latin sources, per-, meaning “through,” and fungi, meaning “to perform.” Fungi is also a source of such words as function, defunct, and fungible, but not fungus; that word is also from Latin, but it is most likely a modification of the Greek word spongos, meaning “sponge.”

    2 min

  8. 6 jul

    deepfake

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2026 is: deepfake • \DEEP-fayk\  • noun Deepfake refers to an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said. // The leaked video incriminating the school's dean was discovered to be a deepfake. See the entry > Examples: "Overall, the deepfakes are impressive, if not maybe a tad uncanny, showing a near-perfect replica of how Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood looked in the late '70s." — Ethan Millman, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2026 Did you know? The old maxim "things aren’t always as they seem" seems more true than ever in the age of deepfakes. A deepfake is an image, or a video or audio recording, that has been edited using an algorithm to replace the person in the original with someone else (especially a public figure) in a way that makes it look authentic. The fake in deepfake is transparent: deepfakes are not real. The deep is less self-explanatory: this half of the term is specifically influenced by deep learning—that is, machine learning using artificial neural networks with multiple layers of algorithms.

    2 min

  9. 5 jul

    acquisitive

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2026 is: acquisitive • \uh-KWIZ-uh-tiv\  • adjective Someone or something described as acquisitive is characterized by a strong desire to own or acquire more things. // The game aims to teach middle schoolers to balance their acquisitive instincts with a consideration of what will benefit society as a whole. See the entry > Examples: “The Athenians, say the Corinthians in Thucydides’s history, are innovative, adventurous, swift to action, acquisitive and keen to expand their empire.” — Edith Hall, The Daily Telegraph (London), 2 May 2026 Did you know? While acquisitive is a useful synonym of the likes of greedy and avaricious, it’s relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, acquire and acquisition. The former of that pair is most often used to mean “to get as one’s own,” as in “skills acquired through practice”; the latter refers either to the act of acquiring something, as in “the acquisition of skills,” or to something acquired or gained, as in “the museum’s recent acquisitions.” All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word acquīrere, meaning “to acquire.” While acquire and acquisition have both been in use since the 15th century, acquisitive is a bit younger. The word has a somewhat rare use meaning “capable of acquiring” that dates to the late 16th century, but its “greedy” meaning dates only to the early 19th century.

    2 min

  10. 4 jul

    semiquincentennial

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2026 is: semiquincentennial • \sem-ee-kwin-sen-TEN-ee-ul\  • noun Semiquincentennial refers to a 250th anniversary or its celebration. The word can also be used as an adjective to describe something related to or associated with such an anniversary or its celebration, as in “semiquincentennial festivities.” // The town’s annual fireworks show promises to be even more spectacular than usual in honor of the nation’s semiquincentennial. See the entry > Examples: “July 4, 2026 marks the nation’s semiquincentennial—its 250th birthday since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.” — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 13 June 2025 Did you know? Everyone knows that if you stick a feather in your hat for, say, a Fourth of July celebration, it is called “macaroni.” But what does a Yankee Doodle Dandy call the celebration itself, specifically when it marks the 250th year since the nation’s founding? Such a special day calls for a special word and semiquincentennial fits the bill, as it does for any anniversary of the same esteemed and venerable vintage. If the word’s mouthful of seven syllables overwhelms, it’s simple to break down. The prefix semi- here means “half in quantity or value,” while quincentennial refers to a whopping 500th anniversary or its celebration. (Quin- comes from the Latin word quinque, meaning “five,” and centennial comes in part from the Latin centum, meaning “hundred.”) Hence a semiquincentennial is celebrated precisely halfway en route to a quincentennial. May knowing this etymology be a feather in your cap at your semiquincentennial BBQ.

    2 min
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