Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2026 is: gallivant • \GAL-uh-vant\ • verb To gallivant is to go or travel to many different places for pleasure. Gallivant is a somewhat informal word that is often applied when the user of the word does not approve of such pleasurable traveling.// They’ve been gallivanting all over town instead of studying for their finals. See the entry >...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2026 is: wistful • \WIST-ful\ • adjective To be wistful is to have sad thoughts and feelings about something that you want to have or do, and especially about something that made you happy in the past. Wistful can also describe something, such as a smile or sigh, that shows or communicates such feelings.// As the car pulled away, Lea cast one last...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2026 is: dudgeon • \DUJ-un\ • noun Dudgeon is typically used in the phrase “in high dudgeon” to describe someone who is angry and offended by something they perceive to be unfair or wrong.// The customer stormed out of the store in high dudgeon after the manager refused to give them a refund for their purchase. See the entry > Examples: “She was in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2026 is: flamboyant • \flam-BOY-ant\ • adjective Someone or something described as flamboyant has a very noticeable quality that attracts a lot of attention. Such a person or thing is often strikingly elaborate or colorful in their behavior or display.// Reality television attracts millions of viewers for its depictions of flamboyant, larger-than-life...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2026 is: augur • \AW-gur\ • verb To augur is to show or suggest, especially from omens, that something might happen in the future. Used most often in formal speech or writing, augur is often followed by an adverb, such as well. // The downturn augurs badly for the success of the business.See the entry > Examples: "Last March, almost exactly two...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2026 is: scrupulous • \SKROO-pyuh-lus\ • adjective Scrupulous describes someone who is very careful about doing something correctly, or something marked by such carefulness. Scrupulous can also describe someone who is careful about doing what is honest and morally right.// She was always scrupulous about her work.// Being an editor requires scrupulous...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2026 is: métier • \MET-yay\ • noun Métier, sometimes styled metier, is a formal word that refers to something that a person does very well.// After trying several careers, she found her true métier in computer science.See the entry > Examples: “Turning from his father’s trade of corset-making, [Thomas] Paine tried his hand at business, met and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2026 is: exasperate • \ig-ZASS-puh-rayt\ • verb To exasperate someone is to cause them irritation or annoyance, or to make them angry.// We were all exasperated by the delays.See the entry > Examples: "My tendency to throw remote historical observations into a conversation exasperates my wife and often results in chuckles and eye rolls from...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2026 is: Beltane • \BEL-tayn\ • noun Beltane refers to the Celtic May Day festival.// Beltane falls each year approximately halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.See the entry > Examples: “On May 1, we celebrate what began as the ancient Celtic holiday of Beltane. ... It started at sundown April 30, when, according to Celtic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2026 is: interlocutor • \in-ter-LAH-kyuh-ter\ • noun Interlocutor is a formal word that means “one who takes part in dialogue or conversation.”// It is crucial in our age of email scams to verify the validity of one’s online interlocutors before sharing sensitive information.See the entry > Examples: “I remember sitting alone on the train...