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.
Episodes
blandishment
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2026 is:
blandishment • \BLAN-dish-munt\ • noun
Blandishments are nice things that you say or do to convince someone to do something. Blandishment is usually used in the plural form.
// Despite the many blandishments of the dressing room attendant, we were resolved not to overspend at the fashion
saturnine
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2026 is:
saturnine • \SAT-er-nyne\ • adjective
Saturnine is a literary word that typically describes people who are glum and grumpy, or things that suggest or express gloom. It can also mean “slow to act or change.”
// A walk in the sunshine can improve your mood significantly, raising the spirits
foible
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2026 is:
foible • \FOY-bul\ • noun
Foibles are minor flaws or shortcomings in someone's character or behavior. In fencing, foible refers to the weakest part of a sword's blade, between the middle and point.
// You have to be able to laugh at your own foibles.
See the entry >
Examples:
deleterious
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2026 is:
deleterious • \del-uh-TEER-ee-us\ • adjective
Deleterious is a word used in formal speech and writing to describe something that is damaging or harmful, usually in a subtle or unexpected way.
// Though effective at keeping pests away from plants, the spray is no longer used because of its d
accoutrement
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2026 is:
accoutrement • \uh-KOO-truh-munt\ • noun
An accoutrement is a piece of clothing or equipment that is used in a particular place or for a particular activity. In military contexts, accoutrement refers specifically to a soldier's outfit. The word can also refer to an identifying and often supe
MacGyver
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2026 is:
MacGyver • \muh-GHYE-ver\ • verb
To MacGyver something is to make, form, or repair it with materials that are conveniently on hand.
// Social media websites are full of videos that show people MacGyvering everything from a life jacket out of a pair of pants to a stove using three metal cans
valedictory
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 6, 2026 is:
valedictory • \val-uh-DIK-tuh-ree\ • adjective
Valedictory describes something expressing or containing a farewell.
// The valedictory speech given by the department chair moved several faculty members to tears.
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Examples:
“Did I regret not catching a retro
interloper
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 5, 2026 is:
interloper • \in-ter-LOH-per\ • noun
An interloper is a person who intrudes in a place or sphere of activity; they are not wanted or welcome by the other people present.
// Summer residents were regarded as interlopers who lacked a commitment to the town's welfare.
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redolent
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 4, 2026 is:
redolent • \RED-uh-lunt\ • adjective
As a synonym of aromatic, the word redolent can describe something that has a noticeable smell without specifying the scent, but more often it is accompanied by of or with and means “full of a specified fragrance,” as in “redolent with incense.” Redolent
engender
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 3, 2026 is:
engender • \in-JEN-der\ • verb
Engender is a formal word that means “to be the source or cause of something.”
// Our monthly book club meetings started as a way to connect and ended up being a great place to engender unity and build life-long friendships.
See the entry >
Exa
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