Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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





gauntlet • \GAWNT-lut\ • noun

Gauntlet originally referred to a double file of men facing each other and armed with clubs or other weapons with which to strike at an individual made to run between them. It later gained an expanded sense referring to a line, series, or assemblage of people or things that poses some sort of ordeal, as in “faced a gauntlet of opponents to get to the championship.”

// Salmon returning to their spawning grounds must make it past a gauntlet of predators, from eagles to otters to bears.

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Examples:

“… I’m also a mother in my forties, which means daily life is a gauntlet of logistics: lunches, permission slips, orthodontist appointments, emotional squalls, school emails multiplying like fruit flies.” — Mira Ptacin, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026





Did you know?

Gauntlet is often used today for a line, series, or assemblage of something that poses some sort of ordeal (as in “the celebs had to make it past a gauntlet of autograph-seekers”) but it originally referred to a trial of a particularly awful variety. In the not-so-golden days, a gauntlet was a military punishment in which a prisoner was made to pass between two rows of men armed with (and using) clubs or other weapons. The original word for the punishment in English was gantelope, from the Swedish gatlopp meaning, literally, “run down the lane.” Gantelope was a bit funny-sounding to the English ear, though, and through a process called folk etymology gantelope morphed into the already-familiar gauntlet. By the time gantelope had become gauntlet, an older gauntlet, referring to a protective glove worn with medieval armor, had been part of the language for about 200 years. (It comes from the Middle French word gantelet, a diminutive of gant, “glove.”)

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





valorous • \VAL-uh-russ\ • adjective

Someone or something described as valorous is courageous or brave.

// For carrying three wounded members of his squadron out of harm's way, the lieutenant was presented with an award that recognized his valorous actions in the heat of battle.

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Examples:

"... a Texas native who was awarded the Medal of Honor for valorous action during combat in Vietnam." — Melissa Renteria, The San Antonio (Texas) Express-News, 8 Mar. 2026





Did you know?

The English language has no shortage of synonyms for brave. In fact, it even has two different such words from the same Latin verb, valēre ("to be well, to have strength"): valiant and valorous. Valiant is the older of the pair, borrowed from the Anglo-French vaillant ("worthy, strong, courageous") in the 1300s. Valorous followed in the 1400s, a combination of valor ("strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness")—another valēre descendent—and the adjective suffix -ous. While the words can be used synonymously, valorous sometimes has an archaic or romantic ring, describing stout-hearted warriors of yore, while the more common word valiant often describes soldiers as well as general kinds of bravery or effort.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 10, 2026 is:





defer • \dih-FER\ • verb

To defer something is to put it off or delay it, to choose to do it at a later time.

// We decided to defer the offer so that we could explore other options.

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Examples:

“Amelie plans to defer college for a year to attempt a mostly solo thru-hike of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail.” — Justin Souza, Noozhawk (Santa Barbara, California), 24 Sept. 2026





Did you know?

There are two distinct words spelled defer in English, each with its own history and meaning. The defer having to do with allowing someone else to decide or choose something, or with agreeing to follow someone else’s decision, tradition, etc., (as in “deferred to his parents’ wishes”) comes from the Latin dēferre, meaning “to bring down, convey, transfer, submit.” The defer meaning “to put off or delay” comes from a different Latin verb, differre, which itself has several meanings, including two that resound in its English descendant: “to postpone” and “to delay.” Another meaning of differre is “to be unlike or distinct,” which makes apparent another of its descendants: differ, meaning “to be different.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 9, 2026 is:





wabi-sabi • \WAH-bee-SAH-bee\ • noun

Wabi-sabi refers to a philosophy of Japanese origin that emphasizes the aesthetic value in imperfect, impermanent, and simple things. This word can also refer to the qualities of imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity considered as beautiful.

// Over the years, the gardener learned to let go of his perfectionism and embrace wabi-sabi.

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Examples:

"Traditional Japanese homes often follow the philosophy of wabi-sabi, an appreciation for imperfection and asymmetry. If elements are flawed, worn out or unbalanced, rather than scrambling to fix them, the theory goes, it's better to not only accept but celebrate a place's peccadillos." — Robin Roberts, The Vancouver (British Columbia) Sun, 9 May 2026





Did you know?

Wabi-sabi followed a simple path to English: it was borrowed directly from Japanese in the early 1960s. The philosophy this word refers to, however, is much older. In the mid-16th century, Japanese tea master Sen Rikyū firmly established simple or unadorned beauty, known as wabi, and an aged appearance or rustic patina, known as sabi, as integral aesthetic elements of the ceramics used in tea ceremonies. A popular expression of wabi-sabi is seen in kintsugi, the traditional Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using a lacquer and metal powder (such as gold, silver, or platinum) to draw attention to, rather than hide, the repair. Kintsugi is another Japanese borrowing, from kin, meaning "gold" and tsugi, meaning "patch."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 8, 2026 is:





cockamamie • \kah-kuh-MAY-mee\ • adjective

Cockamamie describes something that is ridiculous, silly, or incredible.

// Instead of being honest, he came up with a cockamamie excuse about why he didn’t turn in his assignment.

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Examples:

“As my wife and I plotted our annual family road trip, I made my pitch: A cemetery tour of the Midwest! It would be fun! … ‘It’s cemetery summer,’ I whispered and pumped my fist. A few days after my wife agreed to the plan, I found an even more willing audience for my cockamamie scheme.” — Will McGrath, The New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026





Did you know?

By the look and sound of it, cockamamie (also spelled cockamamy) could have something to do with a rooster and the outrageous sound it makes. But in fact, cockamamie is believed to be an altered form of the term decalcomania, which refers to the process, invented in the mid-19th century, of transferring pictures and designs from specially prepared paper to surfaces such as glass or porcelain. (The word referring to the picture or design itself, decal, is a shortening of decalcomania.) The word decalcomania comes from French, with décalcomanie combining the verb décalquer, meaning “to trace" or "to transfer by tracing,” and -manie, meaning “-mania.” Starting in the 1930s, painted strips of paper with images capable of being transferred to the skin were called decals or—in children’s slang—cockamamies. Those familiar with today’s temporary tattoos will understand quickly that these were regarded by many as silly novelties, lending the word cockamamie the necessary leeway for application to anything ridiculous.