Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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penultimate
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2025 is: penultimate • \pih-NUL-tuh-mut\ • adjective Penultimate means "occurring immediately before the last one," or in other words, "next to last." A formal adjective, it is always used before the noun it modifies. // The penultimate episode of the TV series features some shocking plot twists that set up what will surely be a thrilling series finale. See the entry > Examples: "The high school soccer playoffs are down to their penultimate round with the state semifinals looming later this week after a select few regional champions were crowned on Tuesday." — Matt Welch, The Plano (Texas) Star Courier, 2 Apr. 2025 Did you know? Penultimate isn't the last word in words for things that are next to last. It has a pair of closely-related noun synonyms: penult and penultima. Although all three concern something that's next to last, penult and penultima are usually a bit more specific; they are used most often to identify the next to last syllable of a word. All three come from paenultima, the feminine of paenultimus, a Latin root from paene ("almost") and ultimus ("last"). You may occasionally hear the word penultimate used as an intensified version of ultimate, as in "a race they've called 'the penultimate challenge.'" This use isn't typically found in edited prose, however, or in dictionaries, as discussed in this video.
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imprimatur
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 12, 2025 is: imprimatur • \im-pruh-MAH-toor\ • noun Imprimatur is a formal word that refers to explicit approval or permission. // Though not an official project of the theater, the drama festival has its imprimatur. See the entry > Examples: “It is not overstating to say that [Frederick] Douglass was a baseball man. He attended games, supported his sons’ involvement, and even played catch with his grandchildren. Douglass’s support gave Black baseball an imprimatur of race approval as an activity that uplifted the race. It was not frivolous for Black men to pursue this sport as an avocation, or even as a vocation.” — Gerald Early, Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America, 2025 Did you know? Imprimatur means “let it be printed” in New Latin (the Latin used since the end of the medieval period especially in science). It comes from Latin imprimere, meaning “to imprint or impress.” In the 1600s, the word appeared in the front matter of books, accompanied by the name of an official authorizing the book’s printing. In time, English speakers began using imprimatur in the general sense of “official approval.”
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languid
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 11, 2025 is: languid • \LANG-gwid\ • adjective Something described as languid shows or has very little energy, force, or activity. // We paddled at a languid pace, in no hurry to arrive at our picnic destination. See the entry > Examples: “The flat once belonged to 19th-century French writer George Sand, and is now a handsome apartment with sleek decor and elevated amenities that will make it easy to enjoy languid afternoons sipping on a glass of wine and perusing the owner’s extensive literary collection.” — Elise Taylor, Nicole Kliest, and Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2025 Did you know? Lack, lack, lack. Languid is all about lack. Depending on its context, the word can suggest a lack of strength or force, a lack of energy, or a lack of activity. The lack-of-strength/force sense of languid describes the kind of sluggishness that often results from fatigue or weakness, as in “the illness left her feeling languid.” The lack-of-energy sense is synonymous with listless, and often describes someone’s character or disposition as a result of dissatisfaction or sadness. Lastly, there’s the lack-of-activity sense of languid, as in “investors are worried about the languid stock market.” So languid is a total bummer, right? Not so (ahem) fast! Sometimes it’s a good thing to dillydally, and languid has also long been used to describe stretches of time—think afternoons, days, summers, etc.—that are relatively and perhaps pleasantly chill.
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obviate
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 10, 2025 is: obviate • \AHB-vee-ayt\ • verb To obviate something (usually a need for something, or a necessity) is to anticipate and prevent it. A formal word, obviate can also mean "to make an action unnecessary." // The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery. // Allowing workers flexibility should obviate any objections to the change. See the entry > Examples: "In 1987, a new kind of computer workstation debuted from Sun Microsystems. These workstations, as well as increasingly powerful desktop computers from IBM and Apple, obviated the need for specialized LISP machines. Within a year, the market for LISP machines evaporated." — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 3 Sept. 2025 Did you know? It's most often needs that get obviated. And a need that's obviated is a need that's been anticipated and prevented. That sentence may obviate your need to consult the definition again, for example. Obviate comes ultimately from the Latin adjective obviam, meaning "in the way," and obviating does often involve figuratively putting something in the way, as when an explanatory sentence placed just so blocks a need to consult a definition. (Obviam is also an ancestor of our adjective obvious.) Obviate has a number of synonyms in English, including prevent, preclude, and avert, which all can mean "to hinder or stop something." Preclude often implies that a degree of chance was involved in stopping an event, while avert always implies that a bad situation has been anticipated and prevented or deflected by the application of immediate and effective means. Obviate generally suggests the use of intelligence or forethought to ward off trouble.
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duress
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 9, 2025 is: duress • \dur-RESS\ • noun Duress, which is typically used with under, refers to force or threats meant to make someone do something. It is used especially of unlawful coercion. // The defense asserts that the defendant’s confession was made under duress. See the entry > Examples: “Did you know that Toni [Morrison] also edited poetry? (What couldn’t she do!) Despite inexperience with the medium, Morrison was an early champion of the poet June Jordan. She published one of her earliest collections, Things I Do in the Dark, in 1977. In a 1975 letter, Morrison told Jordan that Random House would publish her work, but only under duress. ‘The answer they gave was “we would prefer her prose—will do poetry if we must,”’ she wrote. ‘Now I would tell them to shove it if that were me…’” — Brittany Allen, LitHub.com, 24 Apr. 2025 Did you know? Duress is most often paired with the word under to refer to force or threats meant to make someone do something. For example, someone forced to sign a document signs it “under duress,” and a person held “under duress” is not free to leave but is being constrained, usually unlawfully. (Do not confuse being “under duress” with being “under stress,” which is a much more common occurrence.) Duress comes ultimately from the Latin adjective durus, meaning “hard,” source too of durable and endure.
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