Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 22, 2025 is: frolic • \FRAH-lik\ • verb To frolic is to play and move about happily.// We watched the seals as they frolicked in the harbor.See the entry > Examples: “Harper’s consciousness ends up in the body of her mom, Anna. Lily bodyswaps with her soon-to-be grandma Tess. And vice versa. Meaning Lohan and Curtis are playing teens again. While...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 21, 2025 is: sedentary • \SED-un-tair-ee\ • adjective Something described as sedentary does or involves a lot of sitting. Sedentary can also mean "not physically active" (as in "a sedentary lifestyle") or "not migratory" (as in "sedentary birds" or "a sedentary civilization").// Editing the dictionary is a sedentary job.See the entry > Examples:...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 20, 2025 is: etymology • \eh-tuh-MAH-luh-jee\ • noun An etymology is an explanation of a word’s history—that is, where the word came from and how it developed. // As a word nerd, I’m always eager to learn a word’s etymology and trace it back to its earliest known origins. See the entry > Examples: “A recent Vogue bride, Nicole Amarise, changed her...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 19, 2025 is: veritable • \VAIR-uh-tuh-bul\ • adjective Veritable is a formal adjective that means “being in fact the thing named and not false, unreal, or imaginary.” It is often used to stress the aptness of a metaphorical description.// The island is a veritable paradise.// The sale attracted a veritable mob of people. See the entry > Examples:...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 18, 2025 is: muse • \MYOOZ\ • verb When muse is used to mean "to think about something carefully or thoroughly," it is usually followed by about, on, over, or upon. The word can also mean "to become absorbed in thought," or "to think or say something in a thoughtful way."// He mused on the possibility of pursuing a master's degree. // "I could sell...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 17, 2025 is: kibosh • \KYE-bosh\ • noun Kibosh refers to something that serves as a check or stop. It is usually used in the phrase “put the kibosh on” to mean “to stop or end (something)” or “to prevent (something) from happening or continuing.”// I downloaded an app to help me put the kibosh on my high screen time. See the entry > Examples: “…...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 16, 2025 is: biannual • \bye-AN-yuh-wul\ • adjective Biannual is an adjective used to describe something that happens twice a year, or something that happens every two years. // The art show is a biannual event that won’t happen again for two more years.// The group holds biannual meetings in December and July.See the entry > Examples: “About 200...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2025 is: coalesce • \koh-uh-LESS\ • verb To coalesce is to come together to form one group or mass.// The club’s community service projects provide students with a common goal to coalesce around. // The movie is full of beautifully written scenes but they never coalesce into a whole.See the entry > Examples: “... as Angola prepares for the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2025 is: utopia • \yoo-TOH-pee-uh\ • noun Utopia refers to an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect; a utopia is a place of ideal perfection.// It’s a nice place to live, but it’s no utopia.See the entry > Examples: “Despite the rest of the group arguing with and (mostly) disagreeing with him for half...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2025 is: penultimate • \pih-NUL-tuh-mut\ • adjective Penultimate means "occurring immediately before the last one," or in other words, "next to last." A formal adjective, it is always used before the noun it modifies. // The penultimate episode of the TV series features some shocking plot twists that set up what will surely be a thrilling series...