Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 25, 2026 is:

emissary • \EM-uh-sair-ee\  • noun

Emissary refers to a person who is sent on a mission to represent another person or organization.

// Emissaries from the government are trying to negotiate a settlement.

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Examples:

“Brian [Jones] had enjoyed being in control of the band. He’d arranged their gigs, negotiated their deals, served as their spokesman; he was their emissary with the press, making regular visits to Record Mirror and Melody Maker.” — Bob Spitz, The Rolling Stones: The Biography, 20...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 24, 2026 is:

puissant • \PWISS-unt\  • adjective

Puissant is a synonym of powerful used to describe something with puissance—that is, strength or power.

// The creatures in her fantasy novel are wielders of puissant magic, able to strike down enemies by harnessing the power of weather phenomena like lightning and tornadoes.

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Examples:

“The show is light on tech, but the accompanying images … pour through as addendums to Felder's puissant passion of Liszt's Liebesträume or Beethoven's Für Elise and land with...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 23, 2026 is:

asunder • \uh-SUN-der\  • adverb or adjective

Asunder is most often used as an adverb—often with a verb such as tear or rip—to mean "apart" or "into pieces." It is more rarely used as an adjective meaning "apart from each other," as in "standing with legs wide asunder."

// The park was torn asunder by yesterday's microburst, and many of its trails have been blocked by fallen trees.

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Examples:

"We cannot see erosion but we know it happen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 22, 2026 is:

vocation • \voh-KAY-shun\  • noun

Vocation can refer simply to an occupation, or it can refer to a strong calling to pursue a particular kind of work or course of action.

// Since he was a teenager, he knew that he would find his vocation in marine biology.

// She is headed to medical school to pursue her vocation as a doctor.

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Examples:

“Through her education and her father’s encouragement, she had nurtured a vocation for literatur...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 21, 2026 is:

jilt • \JILT\  • verb

To jilt someone is usually to abruptly end a romantic relationship with them. Jilt is also applied to various kinds of abrupt rejection.

// The novel begins with the hero, having just been jilted by his fiancée, setting off to hike the Appalachian Trail.

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Examples:

“The set suggests Miss Havisham’s room in her estate, which was famously frozen in time from the moment her fiancé jilted her in the Dickens novel, but that’s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 20, 2026 is:

compunction • \kum-PUNK-shun\  • noun

Compunction refers to a feeling of misgiving, that is, doubt or suspicion especially concerning a future event. It can also refer to a feeling of guilt or regret. The word is typically used in negative constructions.

// We moved ahead with the plans without compunction.

// They felt no compunctions about their crimes.

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Examples:

"As a younger man, he tried to finish everything he started. But today he drops a book without compu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 19, 2026 is:

fervid • \FER-vid\  • adjective

Fervid is used to describe people or things that express or are expressive of strong feelings.

// The core of the book is the fervid letters the friends exchanged during the years they were apart.

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Examples:

“Fervid superfans of high-profile groups often pore over members’ appearances, performances, and private lives. Perceived ‘bad’ behavior such as smoking or drinking can earn widespread public backlash, forcing stars to live under strict rules.” — Jessie Yeung, CNN, 16 Jan. 2026

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 18, 2026 is:

bon vivant • \bahn-vee-VAHNT\  • noun

A bon vivant is a sociable person who has refined tastes especially with respect to food and drink.

// She has become something of a bon vivant since moving to Paris, going out most nights and delighting in the city's many restaurants.

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Examples:

“The vineyard is named for the exiled French aristocrat Charles de Saint-Évremond, a symbol of hedonistic Anglo-French cooperation. The bon vivant introduced champagne to England and party-loving Charles II made...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 17, 2026 is:

syncretic • \sin-KRET-ik\  • adjective

Syncretic describes things that are characterized or brought about by a combination of different forms of belief or practice.

// We were raised with a syncretic religion that combined practices from various faiths.

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Examples:

"Traditional medicine, wellness rituals, and spiritual practices reflect the island’s complex cultural history and diverse ethnic origins—a syncretic blending of Taíno Indigenous, African, and Spanish traditions." — Tiana Randall, Forbes, 20 Aug. 2026

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 16, 2026 is:

zenith • \ZEE-nith\  • noun

Zenith refers to the strongest or most successful period of time for a person or thing.

// At its zenith in the 1980s, the company employed more than 300 people.

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Examples:

“The opening 40 minutes of Trần Anh Hùng’s dreamy romance set in the 1889 French countryside are the zenith of food preparation on the big screen. ... Food is a love language for many, and watching Pauline prepare a Baked Alaska in the hot French s...