Merriam-Webster'sWord of the Day

Beltane

Beltane

ex-as-per-ate

exasperate

méti-er

métier

scrupu-lous

scrupulous

au-gur

augur

flam-boy-ant

flamboyant

dud-geon

dudgeon

wist-ful

wistful

gal-li-vant

gallivant

hal-cy-on

halcyon

paragon

paragon

cater-corner

catercorner

rec-ti-fy

rectify

im-broglio

imbroglio

tor-tu-ous

tortuous

kiki

kiki

af-fa-ble

affable

vin-di-cate

vindicate

de-meanor

demeanor

cor-dial

cordial

la-cu-na

lacuna

fraught

fraught

ex-pe-dite

expedite

onus

onus

sacro-sanct

sacrosanct

Gor-dian knot

Gordian knot

benev-o-lent

benevolent

in-gra-ti-ate

ingratiate

co-hort

cohort

unc-tu-ous

unctuous

shenani-gans

shenanigans

fawn

fawn

adroit

adroit

wiseacre

wiseacre

ver-dant

verdant

cot-ton

cotton

laud-able

laudable

panache

panache

de-cry

decry

glau-cous

glaucous

sub-terfuge

subterfuge

re-con-dite

recondite

kib-itzer

kibitzer

en-join

enjoin

may-hem

mayhem

brazen

brazen

pos-tu-late

postulate

hia-tus

hiatus

nu-ga-to-ry

nugatory

in-doc-tri-nate

indoctrinate

or-thog-ra-phy

orthography

tan-ta-mount

tantamount

for-ti-tude

fortitude

ar-bo-re-al

arboreal

jux-ta-pose

juxtapose

oner-ous

onerous

boon-dog-gle

boondoggle

evanes-cent

evanescent

spec-u-late

speculate

in-ter-locu-tor

interlocutor

paean

paean

ex-hil-a-rate

exhilarate

spiel

spiel

ad hoc

ad hoc

deem

deem

vaunt-ed

vaunted

lib-er-tine

libertine

cre-pus-cu-lar

crepuscular

hec-tor

hector

mea cul-pa

mea culpa

be-sot-ted

besotted

gam-bit

gambit

im-mure

immure

rash

rash

tranche

tranche

pu-ta-tive

putative

Erin go bragh

Erin go bragh

je-june

jejune

nadir

nadir

eu-re-ka

eureka

scru-ti-nize

scrutinize

apoth-e-o-sis

apotheosis

fre-net-ic

frenetic

ca-dence

cadence

un-du-late

undulate

zany

zany

dross

dross

fis-cal

fiscal

cadge

cadge

obliv-ion

oblivion

gen-teel

genteel

gar-gan-tu-an

gargantuan

pre-science

prescience

hornswog-gle

hornswoggle

di-aphanous

diaphanous

adu-la-tion

adulation

sar-to-r-i-al

sartorial

im-bue

imbue

meme

meme

for-tu-itous

fortuitous

be-smirch

besmirch

tab-u-la rasa

tabula rasa

en-dem-ic

endemic

rap-scal-lion

rapscallion

canoo-dle

canoodle

ver-tig-i-nous

vertiginous

pre-rog-a-tive

prerogative

ab-di-cate

abdicate

Goldilocks

Goldilocks

syl-lo-gism

syllogism

en-cap-su-late

encapsulate

la-con-ic

laconic

for-ay

foray

cul-mi-nate

culminate

umpteen

umpteen

ono-matopoeia

onomatopoeia

knack-ered

knackered

net-tle

nettle

con-gru-ous

congruous

amor-tize

amortize

febrile

febrile

senes-cence

senescence

ti-tan-ic

titanic

mar-gin-a-lia

marginalia

loll

loll

em-i-nent-ly

eminently

gum-bo

gumbo

in-nocu-ous

innocuous

col-lude

collude

para-dox

paradox

brack-ish

brackish

um-brage

umbrage

del-e-gate

delegate

cloy-ing

cloying

vendet-ta

vendetta

no-to-ri-ous

notorious

elic-it

elicit

ephemer-al

ephemeral

quid-di-ty

quiddity

schmooze

schmooze

di-sheveled

disheveled

as-tro-labe

astrolabe

gar-ner

garner

re-splen-dent

resplendent

oaf

oaf

fidu-cia-ry

fiduciary

bom-bast

bombast

rec-i-p-ro-cate

reciprocate

pre-em-i-nent

preeminent

short shrift

short shrift

pseu-do-nym

pseudonym

ca-jole

cajole

alche-my

alchemy

frowsy

frowsy

in-oc-u-late

inoculate

sen-si-bil-i-ty

sensibility

enig-mat-ic

enigmatic

brava-do

bravado

pal-try

paltry

grift

grift

leviathan

leviathan

wag-gish

waggish

al-le-vi-ate

alleviate

mul-ti-tudi-nous

multitudinous

drei-del

dreidel

con-ver-sant

conversant

es-pouse

espouse

jaun-ty

jaunty

ve-rac-i-ty

veracity

deco-rous

decorous

hi-ber-nac-u-lum

hibernaculum

tem-po-rize

temporize

be-spoke

bespoke

hark back

hark back

noel

noel

grandiose

grandiose

apro-pos

apropos

yen

yen

ne-far-i-ous

nefarious

charis-ma

charisma

ret-ro-spec-tive

retrospective

os-tra-cize

ostracize

ar-bi-trary

arbitrary

fi-deli-ty

fidelity

spon-ta-neous

spontaneous

lout

lout

con-cil-ia-to-ry

conciliatory

va-moose

vamoose

bro-mide

bromide

im-prov-i-dent

improvident

temer-i-ty

temerity

doughty

doughty

abide

abide

peremp-to-ry

peremptory

hey-day

heyday

ra-di-al

radial

writhe

writhe

cru-cible

crucible

ec-cen-tric

eccentric

serendip-i-ty

serendipity

gauche

gauche

blovi-ate

bloviate

metonymy

metonymy

des-o-late

desolate

amal-ga-mate

amalgamate

perdi-tion

perdition

un-abashed

unabashed

cor-nu-copia

cornucopia

sus-tain

sustain

ex-cul-pa-to-ry

exculpatory

icon-o-clast

iconoclast

preter-nat-ur-al

preternatural

atone

atone

gib-bous

gibbous

reper-toire

repertoire

sonorous

sonorous

em-bar-rass

embarrass

can-dor

candor

finicky

finicky

duress

duress

ob-vi-ate

obviate

lan-guid

languid

im-pri-matur

imprimatur

penul-ti-mate

penultimate

utopia

utopia

co-a-lesce

coalesce

bian-nu-al

biannual

ki-bosh

kibosh

muse

muse

ver-i-ta-ble

veritable

et-y-mol-o-gy

etymology

seden-tary

sedentary

frol-ic

frolic

litany

litany

ran-cid

rancid

wreak

wreak

cognoscente

cognoscente

acer-bic

acerbic

menagerie

menagerie

del-i-quesce

deliquesce

tru-cu-lent

truculent

hob-gob-lin

hobgoblin

epit-o-me

epitome

carp

carp

triv-ial

trivial

abeyance

abeyance

histri-on-ic

histrionic

mol-li-fy

mollify

be-hest

behest

san-guine

sanguine

in-sin-u-ate

insinuate

gri-ot

griot

zoomor-phic

zoomorphic

flum-mox

flummox

con-sum-mate

consummate

per-pe-tu-ity

perpetuity

askance

askance

de-bunk

debunk

jovial

jovial

ra-tio-nale

rationale

suc-cumb

succumb

en-mi-ty

enmity

lugubri-ous

lugubrious

catch-22

catch-22

non-pareil

nonpareil

bran-dish

brandish

anom-aly

anomaly

gesund-heit

gesundheit

vo-cif-er-ous

vociferous

ker-fuf-fle

kerfuffle

oblit-er-ate

obliterate

im-petu-ous

impetuous

dis-so-ci-ate

dissociate

palimpsest

palimpsest

egre-gious

egregious

ta-pes-try

tapestry

con-tentious

contentious

largesse

largesse

ad-ju-di-cate

adjudicate

win-some

winsome

be-he-moth

behemoth

hide-bound

hidebound

stip-u-late

stipulate

ram-shackle

ramshackle

cal-cu-lus

calculus

im-mutable

immutable

me-an-der

meander

tem-pes-tu-ous

tempestuous

glitch

glitch

os-ten-ta-tious

ostentatious

eu-phemism

euphemism

salient

salient

val-i-date

validate

ap-a-thy

apathy

fla-grant

flagrant

clois-ter

cloister

un-du-lant

undulant

trep-i-da-tion

trepidation

neb-u-lous

nebulous

diminu-tion

diminution

in-ci-sive

incisive

pro-to-col

protocol

sim-pati-co

simpatico

ver-bose

verbose

galumph

galumph

desul-to-ry

desultory

Yan-kee

Yankee

can-tan-ker-ous

cantankerous

an-tic

antic

pro-cras-ti-nate

procrastinate

ex-em-plary

exemplary

sim-u-lacrum

simulacrum

bof-fo

boffo

re-scind

rescind

im-puni-ty

impunity

con-trite

contrite

nu-ance

nuance

tan-ta-lize

tantalize

ab-ject

abject

fugi-tive

fugitive

mer-i-to-ri-ous

meritorious

de-vise

devise

ut-most

utmost

hubris

hubris

jet-ti-son

jettison

logy

logy

panacea

panacea

sui gener-is

sui generis

em-bell-ish

embellish

brouha-ha

brouhaha

facile

facile

quib-ble

quibble

dop-pel-gänger

doppelgänger

petu-lant

petulant

pro-scribe

proscribe

Her-culean

Herculean

tute-lage

tutelage

bo-gus

bogus

sea change

sea change

fes-toon

festoon

ab-struse

abstruse

cataract

cataract

elo-quent

eloquent

minu-tia

minutia

de-bil-i-tat-ing

debilitating

im-pute

impute

ram-bunc-tious

rambunctious

vex-il-lol-o-gy

vexillology

prog-e-ny

progeny

gar-ru-lous

garrulous

apolo-gia

apologia

jeop-ar-dize

jeopardize

eman-ci-pa-tion

emancipation

con-vivial

convivial

lit-mus test

litmus test

be-muse

bemuse

where-with-al

wherewithal

noi-some

noisome

flot-sam

flotsam

sump-tu-ous

sumptuous

oblige

oblige

restive

restive

im-pe-tus

impetus

ex-punge

expunge

con-vo-lut-ed

convoluted

zig-gu-rat

ziggurat

sleuth

sleuth

ris-i-ble

risible

pletho-ra

plethora

ex-cul-pate

exculpate

bump-tious

bumptious

mod-icum

modicum

gloss

gloss

un-can-ny

uncanny

dar-ling

darling

fes-ter

fester

apotropa-ic

apotropaic

scut-tle-butt

scuttlebutt

im-per-vi-ous

impervious

jun-ket

junket

mer-cu-r-ial

mercurial

tal-is-man

talisman

an-ti-thet-i-cal

antithetical

cha-grin

chagrin

hap-less

hapless

vol-u-ble

voluble

bas-tion

bastion

limn

limn

dys-pep-tic

dyspeptic

com-mem-o-rate

commemorate

in-ter-minable

interminable

fi-as-co

fiasco

nascent

nascent

gust

gust

op-por-tune

opportune