Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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.”)