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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Merriam-Webster
10 episodes
1 day ago
Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.
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Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.
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Books
Arts,
Education
Episodes (10/10)
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
ostentatious
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 18, 2025 is: ostentatious \ah-stun-TAY-shus\ adjective Ostentatious describes someone or something that displays wealth, knowledge, power, etc., in a way that is meant to attract attention, admiration, or envy. Things that are ostentatious tend to stand out as overly elaborate or conspicuous. // The resort town is famous for its extravagantly expensive summer homes, which some tourists view as impressive and others merely ostentatious. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostentatious) Examples: "[Valentino](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Valentino) presented a dizzying display at Paris [haute couture](https://bit.ly/40kydQ0) week, fusing the past and present in theatrical, ostentatious designs." — Lara Owen, The Independent (United Kingdom), 29 Jan. 2025 Did you know? Both ostentatious and the related noun [ostentation](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostentation) can be traced to the Latin verb ostentāre, meaning "to [display](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/display)," and the idea of display persists in the English word’s current use: people and things described as ostentatious seem to be practically begging to be looked at. Ostentatious is often applied to objects and buildings that can also be described as luxurious—flashy jewelry, mansions, edifices with marble columns. Someone with an ostentatious lifestyle spends money in a way that makes it obvious that they have a lot of it. When used in negative constructions—"the house is large but not ostentatious"—the implication is that display isn’t the point.
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1 day ago
1 minute 48 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
glitch
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17, 2025 is: glitch \GLITCH\ noun Glitch is an informal word referring to an unexpected and usually minor problem. It is used especially for a minor problem with a machine or device, such as a computer. // The email went out to everyone in the company because of a technical glitch. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch) Examples: “Britain’s postal system, once overseen directly by a government minister, became a (government-owned) statutory corporation in 1970. In time, parts of it were spun off—since the days of Margaret Thatcher, the nation has pursued privatization more aggressively than most other countries—and the legal and oversight structure was subjected to continual tinkering. In a deal originating as a ‘public-private partnership’ arrangement, the Post Office in the late 1990s computerized its accounting and other operations. ... Glitches in the software soon resulted in hundreds of rural postmasters being falsely accused of theft and summarily fired.” — Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 3 June 2025 Did you know? There’s a glitch in the etymology of glitch—it may come from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning “slippery place,” but that’s not certain. Print use of glitch referring to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current dates to the mid-20th century. Astronaut John Glenn, in his 1962 book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: “Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it.” Today, the word can be used of any minor malfunction or snag. If you’re a [gamer](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamer) you might even take advantage of a glitch that causes something unexpected, and sometimes beneficial, to happen in the game.
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2 days ago
2 minutes 15 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
tempestuous
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 16, 2025 is: tempestuous \tem-PESS-chuh-wus\ adjective Tempestuous is used to describe something that is related to or resembles a violent storm. In its literal (and often literary) use tempestuous is synonymous with [turbulent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turbulent) and [stormy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stormy). Figuratively, tempestuous describes something or someone full of strong emotions, such as anger or excitement. // On its return to port the unlucky schooner was beset by tempestuous weather and nearly capsized. // Though sometimes a tempestuous relationship, their long marriage was a happy one. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempestuous) Examples: “Throw in some delightfully varied and tactile textures, ranging from splintering wooden masts to goopy blobfish snot, and the film’s [Moana 2] got plenty of enjoyable atmosphere, whether it’s facing down a motley vessel manned by weird little nut-pirates or the tempestuous waves of the stormy climax.” — Jacob Oller, AV Club, 26 Nov. 2024 Did you know? A [deluge](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deluge) of words in English do double duty in describing both the weather and the various emotions, relationships, and travails of humankind. You might be glad to know (or be) someone with a [sunny](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sunny) disposition, for example, or find yourself bored to tears by a [windy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windy) speech. Since its 15th century English debut, tempestuous has also blown in two directions, used in the context of literal storms (as in “tempestuous seas”) and for personalities, arguments, etc., that are figuratively “stormy,” being characterized by strong emotions. Like its older sibling in English, the noun [tempest](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempest) (“a violent storm,” “uproar”), tempestuous hails via Anglo-French from the Latin word tempestās, which has multiple meanings including “stretch of time,” “season,” and “stormy weather.”
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3 days ago
2 minutes 11 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
meander
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 15, 2025 is: meander \mee-AN-der\ verb To meander is to follow a winding or intricate course—that is, one with a lot of turns and curves—or to walk slowly without a specific goal, purpose, or direction. // We spent the afternoon meandering around the seaside town. // The river meanders through the canyon. [See the entry >](https://bit.ly/40kSAfR) Examples: "Hands down, my favorite hike has been the Seven Bridges Walk in downtown San Diego that starts at the world-famous [San Diego Zoo](https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Diego-Zoo) and meanders about 4.5 miles through surrounding neighborhoods, the downtown area and then back to Balboa Park." — Scott Kramer, Forbes, 17 June 2025 Did you know? [Meander](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meander) first meandered into the language in the late 16th century not as verb but as a noun referring to a turn or winding of a stream. The word came to English, by way of Latin, ultimately from Maiandros, the Greek name for a river known today as the [Menderes River](https://www.britannica.com/place/Menderes-River) in what is now southwestern Turkey. The more popular verb use dates to the early 17th century and means both "to follow a winding or intricate course" and "to ramble." Despite its [fluvial](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fluvial) origins, these days meander is more commonly used to refer to a person's wandering course than a river's.
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4 days ago
1 minute 44 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
immutable
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2025 is: immutable \ih-MYOO-tuh-bul\ adjective Immutable is a formal adjective used to describe something that is unable to be changed. // It is hardly an immutable fact that cats and dogs are sworn enemies; over the years our golden retriever has grown both fond and protective of her tabby housemate. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immutable) Examples: “... by the 1800s, naturalists like [Lamarck](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck) were questioning the assumption that species were immutable; they suggested that over time organisms actually grew more complex, with the human species as the pinnacle of the process. [Darwin](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin) brought these speculations into public consciousness in 1859 with On the Origin of Species, and while he emphasized that evolution branches in many directions without any predetermined goal in mind, most people came to think of evolution as a linear progression.” — Ted Chiang, LitHub.com, 6 Mar. 2025 Did you know? Immutable may describe something that is incapable of change, but the word itself—like all words—is [mutable](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutable), both capable of and prone to alteration. To put a finer point on it, if language were fixed, we wouldn’t have immutable itself, which required a variety of [mutations](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutation) of the Latin verb mutare (“to change”) to reach our tongues (or pens, keyboards, or touchscreens—oh the many [permutations](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permutation) of communication!). Other English words that can be traced back to mutare include [mutate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutate), [transmute](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transmute), and [commute](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commute). Which reminds us—the mutability of language makes great food for thought during one’s commute.
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5 days ago
1 minute 57 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
calculus
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2025 is: calculus \KAL-kyuh-lus\ noun Calculus refers to an advanced branch of mathematics that deals mostly with rates of change and with finding lengths, areas, and volumes. The word can also be used more broadly for the act of calculating—that is, estimating something by using practical judgment, or solving or probing the meaning of something. // By my calculus the more efficient air conditioner will have paid for itself within a span of five years. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calculus) Examples: “[Manager, Craig] Counsell said that all options are being considered, and the Cubs will wait to make a decision until they have to, as events between now and [Shota] Imanaga’s official return to the active roster could change the calculus.” — Vinnie Duber, The Chicago Sun-Times, 21 June 2025 Did you know? Solving calculus equations on a chalkboard allows one to erase mistakes, and also hints at the word’s rocky, and possibly chalky, past. Calculus entered English in the 17th century from Latin, in which it referred to a pebble, often one used specifically for adding and subtracting on a counting board. The word thus became associated with computation; the phrase ponere calculos, literally, “to place pebbles,” meant “to carry out a computation.” The Latin calculus, in turn, is thought to perhaps come from the noun calx, meaning “lime” or “limestone,” which is also the ancestor of the English word chalk. Today, in addition to referring to an advanced branch of mathematics, calculus can also be used generally for the act of solving or figuring something out, and as a medical term for the [tartar](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tartar) that forms on teeth, among other things. Whichever way it’s used, we think that calculus rocks.
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6 days ago
2 minutes 13 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
ramshackle
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2025 is: ramshackle \RAM-shak-ul\ adjective Ramshackle describes things that are in a very bad condition and need to be repaired, or that are carelessly or loosely constructed. // Toward the back of the property stood a ramshackle old shed. // The book had a ramshackle plot that was confusing and unbelievable. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramshackle) Examples: "House of the Weedy Seadragon ... and Semaphore Shack sit side-by-side in the sand dunes. They're part of a cosy cluster of ramshackle residences, built in the 1930s by a Hobart family as weekenders for the extended tribe to fish, swim and while away sun-soaked days." — The Gold Coast (Australia) Bulletin, 4 July 2025 Did you know? Ramshackle has nothing to do with [rams](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ram), nor the act of being rammed, nor [shackles](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shackles). The word is an alteration of [ransackled](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ransackled), an obsolete form of the verb [ransack](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ransack), meaning "to search through or plunder." (Ransack comes from Old Norse rannsaka, which combines rann, "house," and -saka, a relation of the Old English word sēcan, "to seek.") A home that has been ransacked has had its contents thrown into disarray, and that image may be what inspired people to start using ramshackle in the first half of the 19th century to describe something that is poorly constructed or in a state of near collapse. Ramshackle in modern use can also be figurative, as in "a ramshackle excuse for the error."
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1 week ago
1 minute 56 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
stipulate
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2025 is: stipulate \STIP-yuh-layt\ verb To stipulate is to demand or require something as part of an agreement. // The rules stipulate that players must wear uniforms. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stipulate) Examples: “Nilsson’s reputation preceded her. The New York Times wrote of her: ‘Christine Nilsson, the Met’s first diva in 1883, could not only stipulate by contract her choice of roles, but could prohibit their performance by any other soprano in the same season.’” — Elise Taylor and Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 20 June 2025 Did you know? Like many terms used in the legal profession, stipulate, an English word since the 17th century, has its roots in Latin. It comes from stipulatus, the past participle of stipulari, a verb meaning “to demand a guarantee (from a prospective debtor).” In Roman law, oral contracts were deemed valid only if they followed a proper [question-and-answer format](https://www.britannica.com/topic/stipulatio); stipulate was sometimes used specifically of this same process of contract making, though it also could be used more generally for any means of making a contract or agreement. The “to specify as a condition or requirement” meaning of stipulate also dates to the 17th century, and is the sense of the word most often encountered today.
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1 week ago
1 minute 45 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
hidebound
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2025 is: hidebound \HYDE-bound\ adjective Someone or something described as hidebound is inflexible and unwilling to accept new or different ideas. // Although somewhat stuffy and strict, the professor did not so completely adhere to hidebound academic tradition that he wouldn’t teach class outside on an especially lovely day. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hidebound) Examples: “He was exciting then, different from all the physicists I worked with in the way that he was so broadly educated and interested, not hidebound and literal, as my colleagues were.” — Joe Mungo Reed, Terrestrial History: A Novel, 2025 Did you know? Hidebound has its origins in agriculture. The adjective, which appeared in English in the early 17th century, originally described cattle whose skin, due to illness or poor feeding, clung to the skeleton and could not be pinched, loosened, or worked with the fingers (the adjective followed an earlier noun form referring to this condition). Hidebound was applied to humans too, to describe people afflicted with tight skin. Figurative use quickly followed, first with a meaning of “stingy” or “miserly.” That sense has since fallen out of use, but a second figurative usage, describing people who are rigid or unyielding in their actions or beliefs, lives on in our language today.
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1 week ago
1 minute 43 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
behemoth
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2025 is: behemoth \bih-HEE-muth\ noun A behemoth is something of monstrous size, power, or appearance. Behemoth (usually capitalized) is also the name of a mighty animal described in the biblical book of Job. // The town will be voting on whether or not to let the retail behemoth build a store on the proposed site. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behemoth) Examples: "The author ... recounts how his grandfather turned a family spinach farm into an industrial behemoth, and exposes the greed and malfeasance behind the prosperous facade." — The New York Times, 6 July 2025 Did you know? In the biblical book of Job, Behemoth is the name of a powerful grass-eating, river-dwelling beast with bones likened to bronze pipes and limbs likened to iron bars. Scholars have speculated that the biblical creature was inspired by the [hippopotamus](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hippopotamus), but details about the creature’s exact nature are vague. The word first passed from the Hebrew word bĕhēmōth into Late Latin (the Latin used by writers in the third to sixth centuries), where, according to 15th century English poet and monk [John Lydgate](https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Lydgate) it referred to "a beast rude full of cursednesse." In modern English, behemoth functions as an evocative term for something of monstrous size, power, or appearance.
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1 week ago
1 minute 44 seconds

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.