M-W Word of the Day @[email protected]

Class: noun | Syllables: KLOOJ

Definition: A kludge is a haphazard or makeshift solution to a problem and especially to a computer or programming problem.

Example(s):
// Andy knocked out a hasty kludge to circumvent the glitch until a more robust solution could be developed.

Class: adjective | Syllables: PUN-junt

Definition: Pungent typically describes things that have a strong, sharp taste or smell. It can also describe communication that has a strong effect on the mind because of being clever and direct.

Example(s):
// Toni likes to add pungent habaneros to her chili to give it an extra spicy kick.
// The Emmy-nominated series is a pungent satire of today's political climate.

Class: noun | Syllables: kohn-sil-YEH-reh

Definition: Consigliere refers to a trusted adviser or counselor. Originally, a consigliere specifically served the leader of a criminal organization such as the Mafia, but others likened to such an adviser are now sometimes called consiglieri too.

Example(s):
// Largely unknown to the general public, she was nonetheless a powerful Washington figure who served as the Senate leader's trusted consigliere and political strategist.

Class: adjective | Syllables: LAM-bunt

Definition: When used literally, lambent can mean “softly bright or radiant” or “flickering.” Lambent is also often used to describe speech, writing, music, and even wine, that has a light, appealing quality.

Example(s):
// Sitting around the campfire, we were mesmerized by the lambent flames dancing into the night.
// As a writer she is known for the lambent wit with which she deftly and amusingly describes the absurdities of modern life.

Class: verb | Syllables: sa-SHAY

Definition: To sashay is to proudly walk in a slow, confident way that is meant to attract attention. Sashay can also mean simply "to walk, glide, or go," or "to proceed or move in a diagonal or sideways manner." In contexts involving dance, sashay means "to make a chassé," which is a dance step in which a slide on one foot is followed closely by a slide on the other foot.

Example(s):
// The model sashayed down the runway wearing red from head to toe.

Class: noun | Syllables: HASH-tag

Definition: A hashtag is a word or phrase that starts with the symbol # and that categorizes or comments on the text or image it accompanies. The word hashtag can also refer to the symbol # as used in a hashtag.

Example(s):
// She used the hashtag #VeganEats to search social media for new recipes and restaurants she could add to her list.

Class: adjective | Syllables: JAWN-dist

Definition: Jaundiced means “showing or influenced by feelings of distrust, distaste, or hostility.” Someone described as jaundiced, or as possessing jaundiced opinions or views, is typically understood to feel that way because of negative past experiences.

Example(s):
// She developed a very jaundiced view of politics and politicians after years of chairing her local school board committee and witnessing all kinds of petty shenanigans.

Class: verb | Syllables: uh-SWAYJ

Definition: Assuage is a formal word most often used when the intensity of something painful or distressing, such as guilt or fear, is being lessened, as in “efforts to assuage their concerns.” Assuage can also mean “satisfy” or “alleviate.”

Example(s):
// City officials tried to assuage neighbors' concerns about the new factory.
// Just beyond one of the hike's more arduous scrambles lay a shady glen with a lively brook perfect for assuaging a climber's thirst.

Class: noun | Syllables: NOOD-nik (the "OO" is as in "good")

Definition: Nudnik refers to a person who is a bore or nuisance.

Example(s):
// She dreads family gatherings, as her nudnik of a brother-in-law is always sure to be there droning on about this or that.

Class: adjective | Syllables: in-DAH-muh-tuh-bul

Definition: Indomitable is a formal word used to describe something that is impossible to defeat or discourage.

Example(s):
// Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, and honors the indomitable spirit of African Americans past and present fighting for justice, liberation, and the fulfillment of this nation’s ideals.
// Her spirit remained indomitable even in the face of tremendous adversity.

Class: verb | Syllables: REK-un-syle

Definition: Reconcile has several meanings that have to do with settling or resolving things, such as differences, contradictions, and conflicts. It is also used to mean “to check a financial account against another for accuracy” and “to cause someone to accept something unpleasant.”

Example(s):
// Historians have never been able to reconcile the two eyewitness accounts of the battle.
// The estranged cousins eventually reconciled when they realized that neither could remember why they were fighting in the first place.
// I’ve finally reconciled myself to no longer driving a car with manual transmission.

Class: noun | Syllables: MY-kruh-kah-zum

Definition: Microcosm refers to something (such as a place or an event) that is seen or understood as a small version of something much larger. In the phrase “in microcosm” it describes something in a greatly reduced size or form.

Example(s):
// The game was a microcosm of the entire season, full of ups and downs.
// The model is designed to represent the town in microcosm.

Class: adjective | Syllables: puh-REN-ee-ul

Definition: Perennial is used to describe things that exist or continue in the same way or state for a long time, as well as things that happen again and again. In botany, perennial describes plants whose life cycles are more than two years long, as in "oregano is perennial." The noun perennial is also used in botany, as in "oregano is a perennial."

Example(s):
// Parking is a perennial problem in the quaint seaside town, especially during the summer.
// Hot dogs are a perennial favorite at barbecues.

Class: noun | Syllables: VOKS-POP-yoo-lye

Definition: Vox populi is a Latin phrase that translates to “the voice of the people” and means, in essence, “popular sentiment or opinion.”

Example(s):
// A successful campaign manager and ardent defender of workers’ rights, Adela dedicates her time to speaking on behalf of vox populi.

Class: verb | Syllables: dih-SEM-bul

Definition: Dissemble is a formal word that means “to conceal facts, feelings, or intentions with deceptive explanations, reasons, etc.” It's frequently used as a gentler way to say “lie.”

Example(s):
// The board's members have lost all confidence in the organization's leader because she has repeatedly dissembled about basic facts about the organization's financial status.

Class: noun | Syllables: froo-ISH-un

Definition: Fruition refers to a state of being complete or fully realized. It's usually used in the phrases "come to fruition" or "bring to fruition." Fruition can also refer to the state of bearing fruit.

Example(s):
// When she landed the role of Roxy in a Broadway production of Chicago, a lifelong dream was brought to fruition.

Class: adverb | Syllables: INCH-meel

Definition: Something done inchmeal is done gradually, or little by little.

Example(s):
// They worked on the study guide inchmeal up until the exam.

Class: adjective | Syllables: ree-DUKS

Definition: Redux is an adjective that means “brought back,” and it is usually used to describe an event or situation that closely resembles something from the past. Redux is always used postpostively, that is, after the word or phrase it describes.

Example(s):
// Following a spell of unseasonably warm weather in late May, early June felt like spring redux as the region experienced a series of cool, rainy days.

Class: verb | Syllables: AD-vuh-kayt

Definition: Advocate means "to support or argue for (a cause, policy, etc.); to plead in favor of."

Example(s):
// The plan is advocated by several prominent city officials.
// They formed a group advocating for improvements in the school system.

Class: adjective | Syllables: SAT-er-nyne

Definition: Saturnine is a literary word that typically describes people who are glum and grumpy, or things that suggest or express gloom. It can also mean “slow to act or change.”

Example(s):
// A walk in the sunshine can improve your mood significantly, raising the spirits of even the most saturnine among us.