Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster
  • 4.5 (1.3K)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED DAILY

Free daily dose of word power from Merriam-Webster's experts

Episodes

  1. 5H AGO

    ad hoc

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 4, 2026 is: ad hoc • \AD-HOCK\  • adjective Ad hoc describes something that is formed or used for a special purpose, or that is made or done without planning because of an immediate need. // An ad hoc committee was formed to investigate the matter. // The company will hire more staff on an ad hoc basis. See the entry > Examples: "At the centre of the plan were tools designed to help governments and councils move beyond ad hoc responses to extreme weather." — Kirsty Johnston, The New Zealand Herald, 31 Jan. 2026 Did you know? In Latin ad hoc literally means "for this," and in English the term describes anything that can be thought of as existing "for this purpose only." For example, an ad hoc committee is generally authorized to look into a single matter of limited scope, not to broadly pursue any issue of interest. Ad hoc can also be used as an adverb meaning "for the particular end or case at hand without consideration of wider application," as in "decisions were made ad hoc."

    2 min

  2. 1D AGO

    spiel

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 3, 2026 is: spiel • \SPEEL\  • noun A spiel is a fast speech that someone has often said before and that is usually intended to persuade people to buy something or to agree to something. // The founder gave us a long spiel about the benefits of joining the running club. See the entry > Examples: “We were in a hotel and when he and his publicist exited one door of the suite, I slipped out the other to meet him at the elevator. I gave him my spiel about the film and handed him a rough cut on VHS. He said, ‘Alright, we’ll take a look.’” — Ed Burns, quoted in The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Here’s our spiel on spiel: it’s well-known as a noun, and you may also be aware that spiel can be used as a verb meaning “to talk extravagantly,” but did you know that the verb can also mean “to play music”? That, in fact, is the word’s original meaning, and one it shares with its German root, spielen. Spiel is also found in glockenspiel, the name of a musical instrument similar to the xylophone.

    2 min

  3. 2D AGO

    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

  4. 3D AGO

    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

  5. 4D AGO

    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

  6. 5D AGO

    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

  7. 6D AGO

    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

  8. FEB 25

    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

  9. FEB 24

    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

  10. FEB 23

    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
  • 10 Episodes

Hosts & Guests

4.5
out of 5
1,263 Ratings

About

Free daily dose of word power from Merriam-Webster's experts

Information

You Might Also Like