Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster
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Episodios

  1. HACE 15 H

    exhilarate

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 2, 2026 is: exhilarate • \ig-ZIL-uh-rayt\  • verb Exhilarate means "to cause (someone) to feel very happy and excited." It is usually used in the passive voice as (be) exhilarated. // She was exhilarated by the prospect of attending her dream school. See the entry > Examples: "I'll say it: winter is my favorite season for jazz in Chicago. Summer may be busier and splashier, but there's nothing quite like nestling into a darkened club, cheeks flushed from the cold, for a singular and inventive night of music. It does more than thaw frozen fingers: It exhilarates, inspires and inflames, in the best way." — Hannah Edgar, The Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Many people find exhilarate a difficult word to spell. It's easy to forget that silent "h" in there, and is it an "er" or "ar" after the "l"? It may be easier to remember the spelling if you know that exhilarate ultimately comes from the Latin adjective hilarus, meaning "cheerful." (This also explains why the earliest meaning of exhilarate is "to make cheerful.") Exhilarate comes from exhilaratus, a form of exhilarare, which combines ex- and hilarare, a verb from hilarus that means "to cheer or gladden." If hilarus looks familiar, that may be because it's also the source of hilarious and hilarity (as well as hilariously and hilariousness, of course).

    2 min

  2. HACE 1 DÍA

    paean

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 1, 2026 is: paean • \PEE-un\  • noun Paean is a literary word that refers to a song of joy, praise, or victory. It can also be used as a synonym of tribute for a work that praises or honors its subject. // Her retirement party featured many paeans for her long years of service to the company. // Critics considered the movie both a thrilling Western and a paean to the natural beauty of the Rockies. See the entry > Examples: “The show is a tender study of people struggling to do right by themselves and others. It's also a paean to Chicago, my hometown ...” — Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025 Did you know? In ancient Greece, Paiā́n (or Paiṓn) was a name used for the god Apollo when in the guise of physician to the gods (Paiā́n/Paiṓn comes from the name of an older Mycenaean healer god). Paiā́n and paiṓn were also used to refer to hymns of thanksgiving and praise sung especially to Apollo, as was their Latin descendant, paean. When paean first appeared in English in the late 16th century, it was used both in the context of Greek history and in general for a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph. Over time, the word became even more generalized, and it is now used for any kind of tribute.

    2 min

  3. HACE 2 DÍAS

    congruous

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 28, 2026 is: congruous • \KAHNG-groo-us\  • adjective Something described as congruous is in agreement, harmony, or correspondence with something else. Congruous can also describe something that is appropriate for a particular circumstance or requirement, or a thing that is marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among its constituent elements. // Their professional achievements were congruous with their academic abilities. // The low bookshelf forms a congruous barrier between the spaces. // It is a congruous, plausible story, consistent in all its details. See the entry > Examples: “Hannah is a sustainability consultant and climate impact manager, which is congruous with an outdoor ethos and the culture around bike guiding ...” — Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 3 Sept. 2024 Did you know? Congruous had only been part of the English language for a few decades in 1615, when a book about the Church of Rome referred to “teaching most congruous to reason.” The word has remained more or less true to its Latin roots: it comes from Latin congruus, an adjective that comes from the verb congruere, meaning “to come together” or “to agree.” (Its more common antonym, incongruous is about the same age.) Another familiar congruere descendant in English is congruent, which first appeared at least a century earlier with the same meaning as congruous. English also acquired congrue, a verb meaning “to be in harmony” or “to agree,” from congruere, but it has since become obsolete.

    2 min

  4. HACE 3 DÍAS

    nettle

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 27, 2026 is: nettle • \NET-ul\  • verb To nettle someone is to make them angry or annoyed. // Though he tried to maintain a friendly tone, the town official was clearly nettled by the reporter's suggestion that the town was at fault. See the entry > Examples: "I can't help but be reminded of an idiom that irked me no end during times of familial stress ... : 'Use it or lose it.' The message being that if a skill or resource is not regularly utilised, over time, we will lose it. As nettled as I was by it, I now feel obliged to acknowledge the obvious truth behind the catchphrase." — Gwen Loughman, The Journal (Ireland), 21 Aug. 2025 Did you know? If you've ever brushed against nettles, you know those plants have sharp bristles that can leave you smarting and itching. The painful and irritating rash that nettles cause can last for days, but at least it is a rash with a linguistic silver lining. The discomfort caused by nettles can serve to remind one that the verb nettle is a synonym of irritate. Nettle originated as a plant name that we can trace to the Old English word netel. Eventually, people likened the persistent stinging itch caused by the plant to the nagging aggravation of being annoyed, and nettle joined the likes of vex, peeve, and irk in describing such little miseries.

    2 min

  5. HACE 4 DÍAS

    knackered

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 26, 2026 is: knackered • \NAK-erd\  • adjective Knackered is an adjective mostly used informally in British English to mean “very tired or exhausted.” // Unfortunately, I was too knackered after work to join them for dinner. See the entry > Examples: “‘How are you doing?’ ‘Yeah, good thanks... just tired.’ I don’t know about you, but it feels like I’m having a version of this exchange at least once a day. It seems that everyone I know is genuinely and profoundly knackered. My friends say it. My postman says it. My teenage son says it. Even my partner, who usually has the energy levels of a Duracell-powered soft toy, grudgingly admits his batteries are drained.” — Sara Robinson, The Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), 22 Nov. 2025 Did you know? An apt synonym for knackered might be the phrase “dead tired” for more than one reason. Knackered is a 20th century coinage that comes from the past participle of knacker, a slang term meaning “to kill,” as well as “to tire, exhaust, or wear out.” This verb knacker likely comes from an older noun knacker, which first referred to a harness-maker or saddlemaker, and later to a buyer of animals no longer able to do farmwork (or their carcasses). Knackered is used on both sides of the Atlantic but is more common among British speakers.

    2 min

  6. HACE 5 DÍAS

    onomatopoeia

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 25, 2026 is: onomatopoeia • \ah-nuh-mah-tuh-PEE-uh\  • noun Onomatopoeia refers to the creation of words that imitate natural sounds. It can also refer to the words themselves, such as buzz and hiss. // The author’s clever use of onomatopoeia delights children especially. See the entry > Examples: “As they began to slurp, columns of noodles steadily streamed upward into their open jaws. The jazz soundtrack of Hiromi’s Sonicwonder playing ‘Yes! Ramen!!’ was punctuated by a gurgling roar reminiscent of shop vacs inhaling shallow pools. ‘We call it ‘hitting the zu’s,’’ says Steigerwald, noting the reference to zuru zuru, the onomatopoeia for slurping ramen in Japanese comics.” — Craig LaBan, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 18 Jan. 2026 Did you know? English speakers have only used the word onomatopoeia since the 1500s, but people have been creating words that imitate the sounds heard around them for much longer; chatter, for example, dates to the 1200s. Some onomatopes (as onomatopoeic words are sometimes called) are obvious—fizz, jingle, toot, and pop do not surprise. But did you know that other onomatopes include bounce, tinker, and blimp? Boom! Now you do. In fact, the presence of so many imitative words in language spawned the linguistic bowwow theory, which hypothesizes that language originated in the imitating of natural sounds. While it’s highly unlikely that onomatopoeia is the sole impetus for human language, it certainly made a mark, which is nothing to sneeze at.

    2 min

  7. HACE 6 DÍAS

    umpteen

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 24, 2026 is: umpteen • \UMP-teen\  • adjective Umpteen is an informal adjective meaning "very many" or "indefinitely numerous." // The artist has painted the same subject umpteen times, yet each piece has its own unique quality. See the entry > Examples: "The life of a showgirl often includes umpteen costume changes, elaborate props and copious amounts of hairspray." – The Economist, 4 Oct. 2025 Did you know? There may not be a gazillion ways in English to refer to a large, indefinite number, but there are definitely more than a soupçon. Many of these, such as zillion, bazillion, kazillion, jillion, and bajillion, start with -illion (as in million) and add a satisfying consonant or syllable in front for some extra oomph. The adjective umpteen does the same for -teen, with the oomph provided by the ump in umpty. Umpty, an adjective meaning "such and such" (as in "umpty percent" or "umpty-four") arose, like umpteen, in the latter half of the 1800s. We only occasionally use umpty these days, but you're bound to hear or read umpteen and umpteenth ("latest or last in an indefinitely numerous series") any number of times.

    2 min

  8. 23 FEB

    culminate

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 23, 2026 is: culminate • \KUL-muh-nayt\  • verb To culminate is to reach the end or the final result of something. Culminate is usually used with in or with. // Their efforts have culminated in the discovery of a new treatment. See the entry > Examples: “The grand emotions of these cartoons-come-to-life culminate in huge song and dance numbers, the songs sung by the voices you know and love from the movies and the dances enhanced by the grace of topflight figure skating.” — Christopher Arnott, The Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026 Did you know? When a star or other heavenly body culminates, it reaches its highest point above the horizon from the vantage point of an observer on the ground. The English verb culminate was drawn (via Medieval Latin) from the Late Latin verb culminare, meaning “to crown,” specifically for this astronomical application. Its ultimate root is the Latin noun culmen, meaning “top.” Today, the word’s typical context is less lofty: it can mean “to reach a climactic point,” as in “a long career culminating in a prestigious award,” but it can also simply mean “to reach the end of something,” as in “a sentence culminating in a period.”

    2 min

  9. 22 FEB

    foray

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 22, 2026 is: foray • \FOR-ay\  • noun A foray is an initial and often hesitant attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity, as in “the novelist’s foray into nonfiction.” In martial contexts, foray means “a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils.” // The professional wrestler’s surprise foray into ballet was at first met with skepticism, but he eventually proved himself a dancer of grace and poise. See the entry > Examples: “Bryan Escareño’s foray into fashion was the result of happenstance. In 2018, the designer, who was born and raised in Venice, California, bought a green vintage Singer sewing machine at a garage sale determined to learn to make the perfect pair of denim pants. … He began honing his sewing skills, eventually crafting cut-and-sew flannel shirts that caught the eye of his colleagues at LA’s Wasteland, a high-end resale boutique.” — Celia San Miguel, USA Today, 3 Dec. 2025 Did you know? For centuries, foray referred only to a sudden or irregular invasion or attack, but in the late 19th century it began to venture into gentler semantic territory. While the newer sense of foray still involves a trek into a foreign territory, the travel is figurative: when you make this kind of foray, you dabble in an area, occupation, or pastime that’s new to you. Take the particularly apt example (stay tuned) of mushroom hunting. The likely ancestor of foray is an Anglo-French word referring to the violent sort who do invasion forays, but that word could also refer to a forager—that is, one who wanders in search of food. (Forage has the same etymological source.) Interestingly, foray has seen a resurgence of use connected to its foraging roots, as evidenced by the growing popularity of mycophile-led mushroom “forays” that have been lately popping up like toadstools.

    3 min

  10. 21 FEB

    laconic

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 21, 2026 is: laconic • \luh-KAH-nik\  • adjective Laconic describes someone or something communicating with few words. Laconic can more narrowly mean "concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious." // The stand-up comedian is known for his laconic wit and mastery of the one-liner. See the entry > Examples: "Elijah did not enjoy all my choices. ... But my son listened closely to every selection. He remembered plot points better than I did and assessed historical figures concisely. 'Mean,' he said of Voltaire. 'Creepy,' summed up Alexander Hamilton. ... Most surprising, my laconic teenager shared my love of Austen. Those hours listening to Pride and Prejudice were some of the happiest of my parenting life." — Allegra Goodman, LitHub.com, 4 Feb. 2025 Did you know? We'll keep it brief. Laconia was once an ancient province in southern Greece. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way of the Latin word laconicus ("Spartan") from the Greek word lakōnikos. In current use, laconic means "terse" or "concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious," and thus recalls the Spartans' tight-lipped taciturnity.

    2 min
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