Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2026 is: rectify • \REK-tuh-fye\ • verb Rectify is a formal word meaning “to correct (something that is wrong).” // We were given the wrong room key, but the hotel management quickly rectified the situation. See the entry > Examples: “NYC contributes roughly 54.5% of state revenue but receives only 40.5% back. Our budget proposals work to rectify this unsustainable imbalance and restore the funding our city deserves.” — Cordell Cleare, The New Yor...
May 13, 2026•2 min
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2026 is: catercorner • \KAT-ee-kor-ner\ • adverb or adjective Catercorner is used to describe two things that are located across from each other on opposite corners. It is a less common variant of kitty-corner . // The store is catercorner from the park, making it the perfect location to grab snacks for our picnic. See the entry > Examples: “Positioned on balconies catercorner from each other, Tom Brady completed a pass across Bourbon Street to Ro...
May 12, 2026•2 min
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2026 is: catercorner • \KAT-ee-kor-ner\ • adverb or adjective Catercorner is used to describe two things that are located across from each other on opposite corners. It is a less common variant of kitty-corner . // The store is catercorner from the park, making it the perfect location to grab snacks for our picnic. See the entry > Examples: “Positioned on balconies catercorner from each other, Tom Brady completed a pass across Bourbon Street to Ro...
May 12, 2026•2 min
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2026 is: paragon • \PAIR-uh-gahn\ • noun Paragon is a formal word that refers to a person or thing that is perfect or excellent in some way and should be considered a model or example to be copied. // In Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad is depicted as a paragon of virtue. See the entry > Examples: "With a bar staff locally renowned for its cocktails, curated French cuisine, an extensive champagne menu and immaculately stylish atmosphere ... Claude is...
May 11, 2026•2 min
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2026 is: halcyon • \HAL-see-un\ • adjective Halcyon is most often used to describe a happy and successful time in the past that is remembered as being better than today. It can also mean “calm, peaceful” or “prosperous, affluent.” // She does not regret retiring, but looks back fondly on the halcyon years of her career. See the entry > Examples: “The first half of Alice Winn’s bestselling In Memoriam is set at Preshute, an English boys’ boarding s...
May 10, 2026•3 min
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 > Examples: “These days, she can be found gallivanting around the Upper West Side, catching the latest Broadwa...
May 09, 2026•2 min
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 wistful glance at the house where she'd spent so many happy years. See the entry > Examples: "Postcar...
May 08, 2026•2 min
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 high dudgeon because her expensive lunch was punctuated by noise from a child ‘a real menace’ whose ...
May 07, 2026•2 min
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 personalities living equally flamboyant lifestyles. See the entry > Examples: “[Helen] McCrory’s...
May 06, 2026•2 min
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 decades after his ghost church appeared at the Whitney , [Banks] Violette put another destroyed structu...
May 05, 2026•2 min
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 attention to detail. // Less scrupulous companies find ways to evade the law. See the entry > Ex...
May 04, 2026•2 min
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 impressed Benjamin Franklin in London, sailed to America, and there found his true metier as a pamphle...
May 03, 2026•2 min
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 friends." — Angus Scott, The Niagara Falls (Ontario) Review , 28 Mar. 2026 Did you know? Exasperate is freq...
May 02, 2026•2 min
