Merriam Webster Word Of The Day List

Front 1

vaudeville

Back 1

1 : a light often comic theatrical piece frequently combining pantomime, dialogue, dancing, and song
*2 : stage entertainment consisting of various acts (as performing animals, acrobats, comedians, dancers, or singers)

Example sentence:
Andrew’s interest in vaudeville can be traced to his grandparents, who met as performers in the 1920s

Front 2

jerkwater

Back 2

1 : remote and unimportant
2 : trivial

Example sentence:
"We're stranded in some jerkwater town in the middle of nowhere," said Larry when he called to tell us that the car's engine had blown.

Front 3

hat trick

Back 3

a series of three victories, successes, or related accomplishments
Example sentence:
The author scored a publishing hat trick, writing three best sellers in a row

Front 4

nonchalant (adj)

Back 4

: having an air of easy unconcern or indifference
Example sentence:
Colette was amazed that Ryan could remain so nonchalant after being informed that he had won the scholarship.

Front 5

pasquinade noun

Back 5

1 : a lampoon posted in a public place
*2 : satirical writing : satire

Example sentence:
The article, a pasquinade mocking the proposed education reform, generated a lot of mail from readers.

Front 6

aghast adj

Back 6

struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked

Example sentence:
In an effort to impress his date, Adam ordered the most expensive items on the menu, then was aghast when the bill arrived.

Front 7

enmity noun

Back 7

positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will

Example sentence:
Having to work on the project together only increased the enmity between Ralph and Debra, who had never gotten along

Front 8

fervid

Back 8

1 : very hot : burning
*2 : marked by often extreme intensity of feeling

Example sentence:
Jennie was such a fervid supporter of the proposed law that she drove all the way to Washington to demonstrate in favor of its passage

Front 9

erne noun

Back 9

eagle; especially : a long-winged sea eagle (Haliäetus albicilla) with a short white wedge-shaped tail

Example sentence:
“The two men in question were in the vicinity of an erne's nest on Mull in March last year….”

Front 10

malign verb

Back 10

to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil of

Example sentence:
Critics have relentlessly maligned the mayor since rumors of bribery surfaced, even though she has successfully revitalized the downtown shopping district.

Front 11

paradox noun

Back 11

1 a : a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true b : a self-contradictory statement that at first seems true
*2 : one (as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases

Example sentence:
They had to face the paradox that their family, which was the source of so much love and affection, could also be the source of great hurt and pain

Front 12

retrospective adj

Back 12

1 a : contemplative of or relative to past events *b : being a generally comprehensive exhibition, compilation, or performance of the work of an artist over a span of years
2 : affecting things past : retroactive

Example sentence:
Carla’s next film will be a retrospective documentary about her favorite sculptor’s work.

Front 13

langue noun

Back 13

language viewed abstractly as a system of forms and conventions used for communication in a community; also : the knowledge that enables a person to speak and understand a language

Example sentence:
Langue makes communication possible; without it we could not process and understand each other’s utterances.

Front 14

betwixt preposition

Back 14

between

Example sentence:
“A relative newbie as satellites go will glide betwixt a crescent moon and the Red Planet tonight on its way to the Little Dipper.”

Front 15

terrestrial adj

Back 15

1 a : of or relating to the earth or its inhabitants b : mundane in scope or character : prosaic
2 a: of or relating to land as distinct from air or water *b : living on or in or growing from land

Example sentence:
Although Marnie studied terrestrial animals as an undergraduate, she plans to focus on dolphins and other aquatic creatures in graduate school.

Front 16

jactitation noun

Back 16

a tossing to and fro or jerking and twitching of the body

Example sentence:
"It is clear that Mrs Y.'s tics are far more complex in form than mere Parkinsonian jerks, jactitations, or precipitations….”

Front 17

orgulous adj

Back 17

proud

Example sentence:
Antoine usually worked with the boutique's most elite clientele and so tended to adopt an orgulous air toward more "ordinary" customers.

Front 18

cocoon verb

Back 18

to wrap or envelop in or as if in a cocoon

Example sentence:
Lily settled into the bleachers and cocooned herself in blankets so she could enjoy the ball game without being chilled by the icy wind.

Front 19

umbra noun

Back 19

1 : a shaded area
2 *a : a conical shadow excluding all light from a given source; specifically : the conical part of the shadow of a celestial body excluding all light from the primary source b : the central dark part of a sunspot

Example sentence:
During the lunar eclipse, the moon was in the umbra of the earth's shadow for about 90 minutes.

Front 20

astute adj

Back 20

*1 : having or showing shrewdness and perspicacity
2 : crafty, wily

Example sentence:
The candidate made a number of astute observations about both foreign and domestic policy during the debate.

Front 21

sutler noun

Back 21

a civilian provisioner to an army post often with a shop on the post

Example sentence:
The sutler who provided the company's provisions wanted a dollar for a can of peaches, so the enlisted men had to be content with hardtack and jerky.

Front 22

morganatic adj

Back 22

: of, relating to, or being a marriage between a member of a royal or noble family and a person of inferior rank in which the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and the children of the marriage do not succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the parent of higher rank

Example sentence:
The king’s son, the child of a morganatic marriage, will never rule.

Front 23

lodestone noun

Back 23

1 : magnetite possessing polarity
*2 : something that strongly attracts

Example sentence:
The old battlefield is a lodestone for history buffs, and many people travel long distances to visit it.

Front 24

restive adj

Back 24

1 : stubbornly resisting control : balky
*2 : marked by impatience or uneasiness : fidgety

Example sentence:
The audience grew restive as the scholar introducing the acclaimed poet droned on and on.

Front 25

infrangible adj

Back 25

1 : not capable of being broken or separated into parts
*2 : not to be infringed or violated

Example sentence:
Page explained that family is sacred to her because she believes that few things in life are more infrangible than the bonds of kinship.

Front 26

syncategorematic adj

Back 26

forming a meaningful expression only in conjunction with a denotative expression (as a content word)

Example sentence:
“In any language, there will be what are called syncategorematic words, such as prepositions and articles,” explained Dr. Lewis

Front 27

fugitive noun

Back 27

*1 : a person who flees or tries to escape; especially : refugee
2 : something elusive or hard to find

Example sentence:
The television news aired frequent descriptions of the fugitive, who was wanted for assault and murder.

Front 28

bodacious adj

Back 28

1 Southern & Midland : outright, unmistakable
*2 : remarkable, noteworthy
3 : sexy, voluptuous

Example sentence:
“Bears are not picky eaters especially in the spring, after they wake up from their winter hibernation with a bodacious appetite.”

Front 29

commensurate adj

Back 29

1 : equal in measure or extent : coextensive
*2 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate

Example sentence:
“Salary commensurate with experience,” the job advertisement read.

Front 30

sanguineous adj

Back 30

1 : bloodred
*2 : of, relating to, or involving bloodshed : bloodthirsty
3 : of, relating to, or containing blood

Example sentence:
The horror movie is a sanguineous remake of an old classic

Front 31

neophyte noun

Back 31

1 : a new convert : proselyte
2 : novice
*3 : tyro, beginner

Example sentence:
Anna, a skiing neophyte, stayed on the bunny slope while her friends went up the mountain

Front 32

imbricate adj

Back 32

: lying lapped over each other in regular order

Example sentence:
The antique mirror had tiny imbricate gold squares around its edge.

Front 33

argentiferous adj

Back 33

containing silver

Example sentence:
The mineral galena, which is common in the Mississippi River Valley, is often argentiferous and so is sometimes mined for silver as well as for lead.

Front 34

denigrate verb

Back 34

1 : to attack the reputation of : defame
*2 : to deny the importance or validity of : belittle

Example sentence:
Although some medical experts denigrate the new technology, others believe that the experimental results have been quite promising

Front 35

warison noun

Back 35

a bugle call to attack

Example sentence:
The soldiers stood alert at their posts, as per their commander’s orders, listening for the warison that would instruct them to advance into enemy territory