Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2026 is:





imbroglio • \im-BROHL-yoh\ • noun

Imbroglio is a formal word that refers to a complex dispute or argument.

// Much of the sisters’ text thread involves the the latest imbroglios on their favorite reality show—who’s mad at who for what, and why.

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Examples:

“A tangled web of interpersonal feuds, played out in letters to the local newspaper, in social media posts and via legal filings in county court, has left the town with no clear path out of a situation that’s not covered by state law. The imbroglio has even reached the state Capitol ...” — Seth Klamann and Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026





Did you know?

Ever noticed how an imbroglio embroils people in controversy? There’s a reason for that—an etymological one, anyway. Both the noun imbroglio (referring to, among other things, a scandal or bitter argument) and verb embroil (“to involve in conflicts or difficulties”) come from the Middle French word embrouiller, a combination of the prefix en- and brouiller, meaning “to jumble,” though they took slightly different paths. Embroil’s was direct, passing from Middle French through French and into English around the turn of the 16th century. Italians altered embrouiller to form imbrogliare, meaning “to entangle,” which spawned the noun imbroglio that English speakers embraced in the mid-18th century. English imbroglio first referred to a confused mass, and later expanded to cover confusing social situations such as complicated disputes, misunderstandings, and scandals.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2026 is:





rectify • \REK-tuh-fye\ • verb

Rectify is a formal word meaning “to correct (something that is wrong).”

// We were given the wrong room key, but the hotel management quickly rectified the situation.

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Examples:

“NYC contributes roughly 54.5% of state revenue but receives only 40.5% back. Our budget proposals work to rectify this unsustainable imbalance and restore the funding our city deserves.” — Cordell Cleare, The New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026





Did you know?

When you rectify something, you correct an error or make things right, which is fitting because rectify and correct both ultimately trace back to the Latin word regere, meaning “to lead straight,” “to direct,” or “to rule.” Rectify has had its “to set right” meaning since the early 16th century, but the word has over the years accrued various other meanings as well, including the specialized uses “to purify especially by repeated or fractional distillation” (as in “rectified alcohol”), “to make (an alternating current) unidirectional,” and several medical applications having to do with healing of one kind or another. Regere plays a part in the histories of several familiar English words, in addition to those mentioned above; the many relatives of rectify include direct, resurrection, and regimen.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2026 is:





catercorner • \KAT-ee-kor-ner\ • adverb or adjective

Catercorner is used to describe two things that are located across from each other on opposite corners. It is a less common variant of kitty-corner.

// The store is catercorner from the park, making it the perfect location to grab snacks for our picnic.

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Examples:

“Positioned on balconies catercorner from each other, Tom Brady completed a pass across Bourbon Street to Rob Gronkowski, proving they’ve still got it. Gronk promptly spiked the football on the fan-filled street below.” — Rebecca Cohen and Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2025





Did you know?

Catercorner gets its first element from the Middle French noun quatre, meaning “four,” which English speakers modified to cater and applied to the four-dotted side of a die—a side important in several winning combinations in dice games. Perhaps because the four spots on a die can suggest an X, cater eventually came to be used dialectically as a verb meaning “to place, move, or cut across diagonally”; cater was later combined with corner to form catercorner to describe things positioned diagonally from each other. (In one early usage from an 1825 magazine article, the author marvels at an “ancient Roman fresco painting, in which a luxurious table is represented as groaning under (among other choice dishes …) four peacocks, with their tails set, cater-corner!”) Eventually the variants kitty-corner and catty-corner, which are now the more common forms, developed. Despite all appearances, these terms bear no etymological relation to our feline friends.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2026 is:





catercorner • \KAT-ee-kor-ner\ • adverb or adjective

Catercorner is used to describe two things that are located across from each other on opposite corners. It is a less common variant of kitty-corner.

// The store is catercorner from the park, making it the perfect location to grab snacks for our picnic.

See the entry >





Examples:

“Positioned on balconies catercorner from each other, Tom Brady completed a pass across Bourbon Street to Rob Gronkowski, proving they’ve still got it. Gronk promptly spiked the football on the fan-filled street below.” — Rebecca Cohen and Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2025





Did you know?

Catercorner gets its first element from the Middle French noun quatre, meaning “four,” which English speakers modified to cater and applied to the four-dotted side of a die—a side important in several winning combinations in dice games. Perhaps because the four spots on a die can suggest an X, cater eventually came to be used dialectically as a verb meaning “to place, move, or cut across diagonally”; cater was later combined with corner to form catercorner to describe things positioned diagonally from each other. (In one early usage from an 1825 magazine article, the author marvels at an “ancient Roman fresco painting, in which a luxurious table is represented as groaning under (among other choice dishes …) four peacocks, with their tails set, cater-corner!”) Eventually the variants kitty-corner and catty-corner, which are now the more common forms, developed. Despite all appearances, these terms bear no etymological relation to our feline friends.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2026 is:





paragon • \PAIR-uh-gahn\ • noun

Paragon is a formal word that refers to a person or thing that is perfect or excellent in some way and should be considered a model or example to be copied.

// In Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad is depicted as a paragon of virtue.

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Examples:

"With a bar staff locally renowned for its cocktails, curated French cuisine, an extensive champagne menu and immaculately stylish atmosphere ... Claude is the local paragon of elegance." — Elijah Decious, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), 18 Feb. 2026





Did you know?

Paragon comes from the Old Italian word paragone, which literally means "touchstone." A touchstone is a black stone that was formerly used to judge the purity of gold or silver. The metal was rubbed on the stone and the color of the streak it left indicated its quality. In modern English, both touchstone and paragon have come to signify a standard against which something should be judged. Ultimately, paragon comes from the Greek verb parakonan, meaning "to sharpen," from the prefix para- ("alongside of") and akonē, meaning "whetstone."