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

Class: noun | Syllables: muh-LAYZ

Definition: Malaise refers to a slight or general feeling of not being healthy or happy.

Example(s):
// She couldn’t pinpoint the cause of this overwhelming feeling of malaise.

Class: adjective | Syllables: deb-uh-NAIR

Definition: Debonair describes someone who may, by definition, also be called fashionable, attractive, and confident.

Example(s):
// Now a professional dancer himself, Raul remembers idolizing Gene Kelly, Gregory Hines, and other debonair performers as a child.

Class: verb | Syllables: uh-GRAN-dyze

Definition: To aggrandize something is to enhance its power, wealth, position, or reputation. Aggrandize can also mean "to increase or enlarge" or "to praise highly."

Example(s):
// Critics of the book argued that the author aggrandizes corrupt politicians.

Class: noun | Syllables: GUMP-shun

Definition: Gumption means “courage and confidence,” or in other words, “initiative.”

Example(s):
// It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that.

Class: verb | Syllables: in-KAHR-suh-rayt

Definition: To incarcerate someone is to put them in prison or, figuratively, to subject them to confinement, as in “people incarcerated in their obsessions.”

Example(s):
// Because the accused man did not present a serious threat to society, many questioned the judge’s order that he remain incarcerated while awaiting trial.

Class: adjective | Syllables: kun-TIG-yuh-wus

Definition: Contiguous is a formal word used to describe things that touch each other or are immediately next to each other in time or sequence.

Example(s):
// She's visited each of the 48 contiguous states in the U.S., but she hasn't been to Alaska or Hawaii yet.

Class: noun | Syllables: PER-kwuh-zut

Definition: Perquisite refers to something extra that someone receives in addition to regular pay for doing a job. Perks, as in “job perks” is short for perquisite.

Example(s):
// Her fancy new job came with several perquisites, including use of the company’s jet.

Class: adjective | Syllables: AN-suh-lair-ee

Definition: Ancillary is an adjective used in formal speech and writing as a synonym of supplementary to describe things that provide something additional to a main part or function of something else. Ancillary can also mean "of lower or secondary class or rank."

Example(s):
// One ancillary benefit of Beatrice's job at the movie theater is the ability to catch an early glimpse of new releases.
// Her job is to oversee the flagship store and its ancillary outlets.

Class: verb | Syllables: FILCH

Definition: To filch something is to secretly or casually steal it. The word filch also usually, though not always, implies that what has been stolen is small or of little monetary value.

Example(s):
// I couldn’t help but chuckle when I woke up to find my four-year-old daughter filching a cookie from the plate on the kitchen counter.

Class: noun | Syllables: BULL-ee-PULL-pit

Definition: Bully pulpit refers to an important public position that allows a person to express beliefs and opinions to many people.

Example(s):
// She uses her position as a famous actress as a bully pulpit to advocate for human rights.

Class: verb | Syllables: dis-uh-VOW

Definition: Disavow is a formal word that is often used as a synonym for repudiate meaning “to deny responsibility for.” A closely related second meaning is “to refuse to acknowledge or accept.”

Example(s):
// In the face of intense public scrutiny, the college's president is now trying to disavow her previous statements about eliminating tenure.
// Party leaders showed courage when they disavowed one of their most promising candidates following revelations of his past improprieties.

Class: adjective | Syllables: PLAYN-tiv

Definition: Something (usually a sound) that is described as plaintive is expressive of sorrow or suffering.

Example(s):
// The plaintive call of the loon, as though it were mourning some bygone age, drifted across the lake.

Class: adjective | Syllables: STOH-ik

Definition: Stoic describes someone who shows very little emotion especially in response to a painful or distressing situation.

Example(s):
// He remained stoic even as his manager reprimanded him in front of his colleagues.

Class: adjective | Syllables: NULL

Definition: Null is a technical term. In law it is commonly used in the phrase "null and void" to describe something that has no legal or binding force. Null also has several zero-related meanings, including "amounting to nothing," "having no value," "having no elements," "having zero as a limit," and "of, being, or relating to zero."

Example(s):
// After careful review, the contract was declared null and void.
// A null vote is a rejection of all the ballot's candidates.

Class: verb | Syllables: ih-VINSS

Definition: Evince is a formal word that means "to display clearly." Someone who evinces an attitude, emotion, quality, etc., shows it clearly.

Example(s):
// She evinced a fondness for animals of all kinds from an early age.

Class: noun | Syllables: KOR-uh-lair-ee

Definition: Corollary is a formal word that usually refers to something that naturally follows or results from another thing. It can also be applied to a thing that incidentally or naturally accompanies or parallels something else. In logic, it refers to a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition.

Example(s):
// Two corollaries of investment in parks and other green spaces are cleaner air and lower temperatures in neighboring communities.

Class: adjective | Syllables: ih-LUSS-tree-us

Definition: Illustrious describes a person or deed that is highly admired and respected.

Example(s):
// During the ceremony, the illustrious star of stage and screen was presented with a lifetime achievement award.

Class: verb | Syllables: uh-MEE-lee-uh-rayt

Definition: Ameliorate is a formal word that means "to make something, such as a problem, better or more tolerable."

Example(s):
// The council is reviewing a plan that aims to ameliorate the town's affordable housing crisis.

Class: noun | Syllables: VAY-guh-ree

Definition: The word vagary, usually used in its plural form, refers to a change that is difficult to predict or control.

Example(s):
// The vagaries of fashion make it difficult to predict what styles will be popular a year or two from now.

Class: adjective | Syllables: DAWNT-lus

Definition: Someone or something described as dauntless is incapable of being intimidated or subdued, or in other words, fearless.

Example(s):
// With dauntless persistence, the ship's crew navigated the vessel through the unexpected storm, escaping with minimal damage and no casualties.