Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2025 is: parlay • \PAHR-lay\ • verb To parlay something is to use or develop it in order to get something else of greater value. Parlay is often used with the word into. // He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship. // She parlayed $5,000 and years of hard work into a multi…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2025 is: parlay \PAHR-lay\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2025 is: hackneyed • \HAK-need\ • adjective Something is considered hackneyed when it is not interesting, funny, etc., because of being used too often; in other words, it's neither fresh nor original. // The new crime drama's characters are shallow stereotypes who engage one another in hackneyed dia…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2025 is: deus ex machina • \DAY-us-eks-MAH-kih-nuh\ • noun A deus ex machina is a character or thing that suddenly enters the story in a novel, play, movie, etc., and solves a problem that had previously seemed impossible to solve. // The introduction of a new love interest in the final act was the …

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2025 is: secular • \SEK-yuh-ler\ • adjective Secular describes things that are not spiritual; that is, they relate more to the physical world than the spiritual world. The word also carries the closely related meaning of "not religious." // Each year, Ian directed his charitable giving toward secula…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2025 is: secular \SEK-yuh-ler\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2025 is: leitmotif • \LYTE-moh-teef\ • noun A leitmotif is a dominant recurring theme—something (such as a melody, an idea, or a phrase) repeated many times throughout a book, story, opera, etc. // The overcoming of obstacles and a love of theater are the two leitmotifs of her autobiography. See the…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2025 is: cozen • \KUZ-un\ • verb To cozen someone is to deceive, win over, or induce them to do something by coaxing or trickery. // The organization cozened scores of people by persuading them to participate in a fraudulent investment scheme. See the entry > Examples: “It’s only office seekers with…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2025 is: untenable • \un-TEN-uh-bul\ • adjective Something, such as a position, excuse, or situation, that is described as untenable cannot be defended against attack or criticism. // The scientists considered their colleague's theory to be bold but ultimately untenable. See the entry > Examples: "A…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2025 is: untenable \un-TEN-uh-bul\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 9, 2025 is: excursion • \ik-SKER-zhun\ • noun Excursion refers to a trip, and especially to a short one made for pleasure. Excursion is also often used figuratively to refer to a deviation from a direct, definite, or proper course, and often in particular to a digression. // Some of Maya’s most cherishe…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 8, 2025 is: gelid • \JELL-id\ • adjective Something described as gelid, such as the weather or a person’s demeanor, is literally or figuratively extremely cold or icy. // She decided to move down south after experiencing Chicago’s gelid winters throughout college. See the entry > Examples: “[Delish.com’…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7, 2025 is: beleaguer • \bih-LEE-gur\ • verb To beleaguer a person, business, etc. is to cause them constant or repeated trouble. Beleaguer is also sometimes used as a synonym of besiege. // The coach, beleaguered by the media and fans for his poor decision-making during games, has been fired. // The no…

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 6, 2025 is: tome \TOHM\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 5, 2025 is: cerulean \suh-ROO-lee-un\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 4, 2025 is: fulminate \FULL-muh-nayt\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 3, 2025 is: addlepated \AD-ul-pay-tud\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 2, 2025 is: potpourri \poh-pur-REE\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 1, 2025 is: rejuvenate \rih-JOO-vuh-nayt\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 31, 2024 is: zeitgeist \TSYTE-gyste\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2024 is: urbane \er-BAYN\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2024 is: linchpin \LINCH-pin\ noun See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2024 is: condone \kun-DOHN\ verb See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.