Merriam-Webster Official

Merriam-Webster dictionary, any of various lexicographic works published by the G. & C. Merriam Co.—renamed Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, in 1982—which is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and which since 1964 has been a subsidiary of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Among the dictionaries are Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language (1961), which contains more than 476,000 entries and provides the most extensive record of American English now available, and the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

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Word of The Day

grok

verb

ˈgräk 

grokked; grokking

Synonyms of grok

transitive verb

: to understand profoundly and intuitively

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

quorum

noun

quo·​rum ˈkwȯr-əm 

plural quorums or quora ˈkwȯr-ə 

1

: the minimum number of officers or members of a body that is required to be present at a given meeting (as to transact business)

In order to adopt articles, according to the rules, the assembly will need a quorumof two thirds.—Ciara Nugent

A minyan is a quorum of 10 adult Jews necessary for public prayer services.—Jeannine F. Hunter

2

: a select group

… speaking to a quorum of young and ambitious lawyers …—Lewis H. Lapham

… the gala's guests, who typically include a quorum of … Hollywood A-listers and supermodels.—Annie Karni

3

: a body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprising those in the same grade of priesthood

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Word of The Day

lionize

verb

li·​on·​ize ˈlī-ə-ˌnīz 

lionized; lionizing

Synonyms of lionize

transitive verb

: to treat as an object of great interest or importance

lionization 

ˌlī-ə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

 noun

lionizer 

ˈlī-ə-ˌnī-zər 

 noun

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Word of The Day

tenebrous

adjective

ten·​e·​brous ˈte-nə-brəs 

Synonyms of tenebrous

1

: shut off from the light : DARK, MURKY

tenebrous depths

2

: hard to understand : OBSCURE

a tenebrous affair

3

: causing gloom

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Word of The Day

mesmerize

verb

mes·​mer·​ize ˈmez-mə-ˌrīz  

 also  ˈmes-

mesmerized; mesmerizing

Synonyms of mesmerize

transitive verb

1

: to subject to mesmerism

also  : HYPNOTIZE

2

: SPELLBIND

I found myself mesmerized by the grandiosity of it all—Arnold Plotnick

The crowd was mesmerized by the acrobats.

mesmerizer noun

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regimen

noun

reg·​i·​men ˈre-jə-mən  

alsoˈre-zhə- 

Synonyms of regimen

1

a

: a systematic plan (as of diet, therapy, or medication) especially when designed to improve and maintain the health of a patient

b

: a regular course of action and especially of strenuous training

the daily regimen of athletes

2

: GOVERNMENT, RULE

3

: REGIME sense 1c

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Word of The Day

churlish

adjective

churl·​ish ˈchər-lish 

Synonyms of churlish

1

: of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl : VULGAR

2

: marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : SURLY

he didn't like the churlish tone in his voice—Margaret Truman

outrage is among your more churlish emotions—Robert Goldsborough

It would be churlish not to congratulate her.

3

: difficult to work with or deal with : INTRACTABLE

churlish soil

churlishly adverb

churlishness noun

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

pontificate

1 of 2

verb

pon·​tif·​i·​cate pän-ˈti-fə-ˌkāt 

pontificated; pontificating

Synonyms of pontificate

intransitive verb

1

: to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way

He does not pontificate about whether one ought to choose, if forced to it, to betray one's country rather than one's friends …—Robin W. Winks

What these interviews generally come down to is an invitation to writers to pontificate upon things for which it is either unseemly for them to speak (the quality of their own work) or upon which they are unfit to judge (the state of the cosmos).—Joseph Epstein

2

a

: to officiate as a pontiff

b

: to celebrate pontifical mass

pontification 

(ˌ)pän-ˌti-fə-ˈkā-shən 

 noun

pontificator 

pän-ˈti-fə-ˌkā-tər 

 noun

pontificate2 of 2

noun

pon·​tif·​i·​cate pän-ˈti-fi-kət  

-ˌkāt

: the state, office, or term of office of a pontiff

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

Zenith

ze·​nith ˈzē-nəth  

 Canadian also and British usually  ˈze-nəth,

-nith

Synonyms of zenith

1

: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer  see azimuth illustration

2

: the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body

3

: culminating point : ACME

at the zenith of his powers—John Buchan

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

shofar

noun

sho·​far ˈshō-ˌfär  

-fər

plural shofroth shō-ˈfrōt  

-ˈfrōth, -ˈfrōs

: the horn of a ruminant animal and usually a ram blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances and used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

mellifluous

adjective

mel·​lif·​lu·​ous me-ˈli-flə-wəs  

mə-

Synonyms of mellifluous

1

: having a smooth rich flow

a mellifluous voice

2

: filled with something (such as honey) that sweetens

mellifluous confections

mellifluously adverb

mellifluousness noun

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

demure

adjective

de·​mure di-ˈmyu̇r 

Synonyms of demure

1

: RESERVED, MODEST

2

: affectedly modest, reserved, or serious : COY

demurely adverb

demureness noun

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

harbinger

1 of 2

noun

har·​bin·​ger ˈhär-bən-jər 

Synonyms of harbinger

1

a

: something that foreshadows a future event : something that gives an anticipatory sign of what is to come

robins, crocuses, and other harbingers of spring

b

: one that initiates a major change : a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology : PIONEER

the great legal harbinger of the New Deal revolution—Time

a harbinger of nanotechnology

the harbingers of peace to a hitherto distracted … people—David Livingstone

2

archaic : a person sent ahead to provide lodgings

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Word of The Day

abstain

verb

ab·​stain əb-ˈstān  

ab-

abstained; abstaining; abstains

Synonyms of abstain

intransitive verb

1

: to choose not to do or have something : to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice

abstain from drinking

2

: to choose not to vote

Ten members voted for the proposal, six members voted against it, and two abstained.

abstainer noun

[merriam-webster]

Word of The Day

fallible

adjective

fal·​li·​ble ˈfa-lə-bəl 

Synonyms of fallible

1

: liable to be erroneous

a fallible generalization

2

: capable of making a mistake

we're all fallible

fallibly 

ˈfa-lə-blē 

 adverb

[merriam-webster]

I can function as a thesaurus.

Yes, I can.

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Word of The Day

injunction

noun

in·​junc·​tion in-ˈjəŋ(k)-shən 

Synonyms of injunction

1

: a writ granted by a court of equity whereby one is required to do or to refrain from doing a specified act

2

: the act or an instance of enjoining : ORDER, ADMONITION

injunctive 

in-ˈjəŋ(k)-tiv 

 adjective