Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2026 is:

interlocutor • \in-ter-LAH-kyuh-ter\  • noun

Interlocutor is a formal word that means ?one who takes part in dialogue or conversation.?

// It is crucial in our age of email scams to verify the validity of one?s online interlocutors before sharing sensitive information.

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Examples:

?I remember sitting alone on the train platform, and then on the train, with no interlocutor but the poem. I read it once. I read it again. And in the blank spaces between the verses, I started to translate.? ? Hannah Kauders, LitHub.com, 3 Dec. 2025

Did you know?

It may not necessarily be grandiloquence to use the word interlocutor in casual speech, but if your interlocutors?that is, the people with whom you are speaking?are using it, your conversation is likely a formal one. Interlocutor is one of many English words that comes from the Latin verb loqui, ?to speak,? including loquacious (?talkative?), eloquent (?capable of fluent or vivid speech?), and grandiloquence (?extravagant or pompous speech?). In interlocutor, loqui was joined to inter- forming a Latin word meaning ?to speak between? or ?to issue an interlocutory decree.? An interlocutory decree is a judicial decision that isn?t final, or that deals with a point other than the principal subject matter of the dispute.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2026 is:

speculate • \SPEK-yuh-layt\  • verb

In general contexts, speculate means "to form ideas or theories about something usually when there are many things not known about it." In contexts relating to business or finance, it means "to invest money in ways that could produce a large profit but that also involve a lot of risk."

// Scientists speculate that the newly discovered exoplanet could host liquid water.

// Their research explores the implications of so many people speculating on the stock market in the years leading up to the Great Depression.

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Examples:

"Bad Bunny wore an all-cream ensemble consisting of a collared shirt and tie, chinos and a sport-inspired jersey bearing the name "Ocasio"?his surname?and the number 64. The significance of the number was not confirmed, but fans were quick to speculate that it referenced his mother's birth year." ? Lara Owen, The Independent (United Kingdom), 9 Feb. 2026

Did you know?

It might be said that what separates our species from others is our tendency "to meditate on or ponder a subject." That's the original 16th century meaning of speculate. It's a use not too distant from today's most common sense, which also involves the mind and thinking: when someone speculates about something, they think and make guesses about it, often forming unsubstantiated ideas or theories. But the origins of speculate lie not in thinking but in looking?the word comes from Latin specere, meaning "to look," or "to look at." We don't have to look far to find other specere descendants, and we'll point them out here with some italics: a cursory inspection reveals spectacle, spectrum, specimen, and perspective. Less conspicuous are despise, prospect, and species.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2026 is:

evanescent • \ev-uh-NESS-unt\  • adjective

Evanescent is a formal and literary word that describes something that only lasts a very short time.

// Our acting coach always reminded us that fame is evanescent, and that we should pursue a life in the theater purely for the love of the art.

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Examples:

"Franklin once sternly confiscated a customer's espresso and refunded his money because he took too long sipping it and thus allowed the evanescent flavors to dissipate." ? Kirkus Reviews, 8 Jan. 2026

Did you know?

Evanescent didn't appear in the English language out of thin air; it comes from a form of the Latin verb evanescere, which means "to fade away" or "to disappear." (Evanescere is also the ultimate source of vanish.) Given the similarity in spelling and meaning between the two words, you might expect evaporate to trace back to evanescere as well, but its source is another steamy Latin root, evaporare. While today evanescent is used to describe things that last only a short time, the word could formerly also describe the incalculably small. That use is now archaic, meaning it has almost blown away on the breeze.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 27, 2026 is:

boondoggle • \BOON-dah-gul\  • noun

A boondoggle is an expensive and wasteful project usually paid for with public money. Boondoggle is also a word for a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament.

// Critics say the dam is a complete boondoggle?over budget, behind schedule, and unnecessary.

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Examples:

"A controversial proposal to construct a new bridge from Bridgeport to Long Island is either a bold, visionary step into the future or an unaffordable boondoggle that could cost more than $50 billion." ? Christopher Keating, The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant, 8 Mar. 2026

Did you know?

When boondoggle popped up in the early 1900s, lots of people tried to explain where the word came from. One theory traced it to an Ozarkian word for "gadget," while another related it to the Tagalog word that gave us boondocks. Another hypothesis suggested that boondoggle came from the name of leather toys Daniel Boone supposedly made for his dog. But the only theory that is supported by evidence is much simpler. In the 1920s, Robert Link, a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, apparently coined the word to name the braided leather cords made and worn by scouts. The word came to prominence when such a boondoggle was presented to the Prince of Wales at the 1929 World Jamboree, and it's been with us ever since. Over time, it developed the additional sense describing a wasteful or impractical project.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 26, 2026 is:

onerous • \AH-nuh-rus\  • adjective

Onerous means "involving, imposing, or constituting a burden." It typically describes something that is difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with.

// They were assigned the onerous task of post-show cleanup.

// The government imposed onerous taxes on imports.

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Examples:

"Morton professed joy at relinquishing politics and announced his intention to retire to his country estate, where he would henceforth be occupied with nothing more onerous than straightening out the pathways in his beautiful gardens." ? Gareth Russell, The Six Loves of James I, 2025

Did you know?

The story behind onerous is at once straightforward and, dare we say, poetic. But perhaps that's putting the cart before the horse. Onerous rolled into the English language during the 14th century, via Middle French, from the Latin adjective onerosus, "burdensome." That word, in turn, was hitched to the noun onus, meaning "burden" (source too of our word onus, which usually refers to a burden or responsibility). Onus shares an ancient root with the Sanskrit word anas, meaning "cart." So although onerous stresses a sense of laboriousness and often figurative heaviness (especially because something is distasteful, e.g. "the onerous task of cleaning up the mess"), it has a deep connection with a literal weight borne by a person, horse, or other beast of burden.

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

juxtapose • \JUK-stuh-pohz\  • verb

To juxtapose things is to place them together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different.

// The local museum?s new exhibit juxtaposes modern art with classical art.

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Examples:

?... on ?Murder Most Foul? [Bob] Dylan thwarts readymade nostalgia, an easy revisiting of the storybook sixties and his golden ?spokesman? moment. Instead, mixing and juxtaposing voices, lingos, and tones, he traces the decline of America over the trajectory of his own lifetime ...? ? Robert Polito, After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan?s Memory Palace, 2026

Did you know?

Although it doesn?t feature the word juxtapose, a classic segment from a 1969 episode of Sesame Street perfectly illustrates the essence of the verb. In it, the character Bob (as played by actor Bob McGrath) sings the catchy song ?One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)? in front of a display that juxtaposes?that is, places near one another for comparison?four items: an apple, an ice cream cone, a hamburger, and a mitten. The song asks its audience to consider their similarities and differences before deciding which is the most different (spoiler alert: it?s the mitten). The word juxtapose is likely a back-formation of the noun juxtaposition, which appropriately enough combines the Latin adjective juxta meaning ?near? with the English word position. The use of juxtapose isn?t limited to tangible objects, however?images, ideas, concepts, and more are frequently juxtaposed.

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

arboreal • \ahr-BOR-ee-ul\  • adjective

Arboreal is a formal and literary word used to describe something that relates to trees. It is also used in technical contexts to mean "living in or often found in trees," as in "arboreal primates."

// Despite weekly hikes on the same trail, she never ceases to be amazed by the arboreal beauty.

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Examples:

"In the saplings' early years, slow growth is the key to arboreal longevity, so the matriarch keeps her offspring in the shade." ? Mike Dilger, The Guardian (London), 21 Oct. 2025

Did you know?

Arboreal took root in English in the 17th century, at a time when language influencers were eager to see English take on words from Latin and Greek. Apparently unsatisfied with a now-obsolete adjective treen meaning (as recorded in our Unabridged dictionary) "of, relating to, or derived from trees," they plucked arboreal from the Latin arboreus, meaning "of a tree"; its ultimate root is arbor, meaning "tree." That root arborized?that is, branched freely (to use the term figuratively): English abounds with largely obscure words that trace back to arbor, meaning "tree." Generally synonymous with arboreal are arboraceous, arborary, arboreous, and arborous. Synonymous with arboreal specifically in the sense of "relating to or resembling a tree" are arborescent, arboresque, arborical, and arboriform. Arboricole is a synonym of arboreal in its "inhabiting trees" sense. (The influencers may have overdone it a bit.) Arboreal is far more common than any of these, but other arbor words also have a firm hold in the language: arborvitae refers to a shrub whose name translates as "tree of life"; arboretum refers to a place where trees are cultivated; and arboriculture is the cultivation of trees. And of course we can't forget Arbor Day, which since 1872 has named a day set aside for planting trees. You'd be forgiven for assuming that the English word arbor, in the sense meaning "a garden shelter of tree boughs or vines twined together," is rooted in the same source as arboreal, but in fact it comes from the Latin noun herba, meaning "herb" or "grass."

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

fortitude • \FOR-tuh-tood\  • noun

Fortitude is a formal word that refers to the strength of mind that enables someone to encounter danger or to bear pain or adversity with courage. Less formal words with similar meanings include grit, fiber, and pluck.

// To reach the summit of the mountain requires not only great physical strength and training but the fortitude to persevere no matter the challenge.

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Examples:

?Managing is never a one-size-fits-all process. Personality, fortitude, and experience all matter, as does context.? ? Gary Deer, The Daily Gazette (Xenia, Ohio), 28 Mar. 2026

Did you know?

Fortitude comes from the Latin word fortis, meaning ?strong,? and in English it has always been used primarily to describe strength of mind. For a time, the word was also used to mean ?physical strength?; William Shakespeare used it that way in Henry VI, Part 1: ?Coward of France! How much he wrongs his fame / Despairing of his own arm?s fortitude.? But despite use by the famous bard, that meaning languished and is now considered obsolete. Even the familiar phrase ?intestinal fortitude? is just a humorous way to refer to someone?s courage or mental stamina, not the literal strength of their digestive system. (If you?re looking to describe a mighty gastrointestinal tract, we might suggest ?iron stomach.?)

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

tantamount • \TAN-tuh-mount\  • adjective

Something may be described as tantamount to something else if it is equal in value, meaning, or effect.

// The pop star?s fans see any criticism of her music as tantamount to a crime.

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Examples:

?... conducting requires more than merely gesturing with a baton?some pieces of music are tantamount to 80 minutes of hard cardio ...? ? Mark Shanahan, The Boston Globe, 15 Mar. 2026

Did you know?

Although tantamount (from the Anglo-French phrase tant amunter, meaning ?to amount to as much?) was used three different ways in the early 17th century?as a noun, verb, and adjective?the adjective form has since proven paramount to English users: it?s still in use while the noun and verb are obsolete. This is not to say that the adjective hasn?t experienced change over the years. While it was once acceptable to use tantamount in a variety of different sentence structures, nowadays it is almost always followed by the word to. And to use it before a noun, as in ?the two old friends exchanged tantamount greetings,? would now be considered, er, tantamount to riding a penny-farthing or boneshaker onto the expressway.

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

orthography • \or-THAH-gruh-fee\  • noun

Orthography refers to the way in which the words of a language are spelled, or to the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage.

// As the winner of several spelling bees, she impressed her teachers with her exceptional grasp of orthography.

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Examples:

?Ormin, a medieval monk, sought to bring order to English orthography by addinng morre letterrs to worrds. August Thibaudin, a London professor, tried 9dding n3mbers. Our ideas for simplifying spelling have ranged from the rashonal to the redikulus to the döunnryt ubsërrd, and with each whimsical solution we seem to get further away from cognitive stability.? ? Gabe Henry, Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Eezier to Spell, 2025

Did you know?

The concept of orthography (a term that comes from the Greek words orthos, meaning ?right or true,? and graphein, meaning ?to write?) was not something that really concerned English speakers until the introduction of the printing press in England during the 15th century. From that point on, English spelling became progressively more uniform. Our orthography has been relatively stable since the 1755 publication of Samuel Johnson?s A Dictionary of the English Language, with the notable exception of certain spelling reforms, such as the change of musick to music. Incidentally, many of these reforms were championed by Merriam-Webster?s own Noah Webster.