Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

perfunctory

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2026 is: perfunctory • \per-FUNK-tuh-ree\  • adjective Perfunctory is a formal word used to describe something that is done without energy or enthusiasm because of habit or because it is expected. // By the time my favorite band got to the last stop of the tour, their performance felt perfunctory. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perfunctory] Examples: “Even a perfunctory ending can’t take away from the film’s fiery commitment to bearing witness to misogyny’s bitter fruit. Harris’ vision as a first-time filmmaker is crystal clear, and Is God Is already feels timeless, like a parable that could have been written decades ago, and will be handily passed down as pointed social critique for decades to come.” — Aisha Harris, NPR, 15 May 2026 Did you know? A perfunctory explanation of the origins of perfunctory would be this: it comes from Latin. But given our passion for language, we can’t resist giving you all the details. Borrowed in the late 16th century, the word is specifically from the Late Latin perfunctorius, meaning “done in a careless or superficial manner.” Perfunctorius traces back to a form of perfungi (“to accomplish, perform, get through with”) and ultimately comes from two Latin sources, per-, meaning “through,” and fungi, meaning “to perform.” Fungi is also a source of such words as function [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/function], defunct [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defunct], and fungible [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fungible], but not fungus [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fungus]; that word is also from Latin, but it is most likely a modification of the Greek word spongos, meaning “sponge [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sponge].”

deepfake

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2026 is: deepfake • \DEEP-fayk\  • noun Deepfake refers to an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said. // The leaked video incriminating the school's dean was discovered to be a deepfake. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deepfake] Examples: "Overall, the deepfakes are impressive, if not maybe a tad uncanny, showing a near-perfect replica of how Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood looked in the late '70s." — Ethan Millman, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2026 Did you know? The old maxim "things aren’t always as they seem" seems more true than ever in the age of deepfakes. A deepfake is an image, or a video or audio recording, that has been edited using an algorithm to replace the person in the original with someone else (especially a public figure) in a way that makes it look authentic. The fake in deepfake is transparent: deepfakes are not real. The deep is less self-explanatory: this half of the term is specifically influenced by deep learning [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deep-learning]—that is, machine learning using artificial neural [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neural] networks with multiple layers of algorithms [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/algorithm].

acquisitive

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2026 is: acquisitive • \uh-KWIZ-uh-tiv\  • adjective Someone or something described as acquisitive is characterized by a strong desire to own or acquire more things. // The game aims to teach middle schoolers to balance their acquisitive instincts with a consideration of what will benefit society as a whole. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisitive] Examples: “The Athenians, say the Corinthians in Thucydides’s [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thucydides-Greek-historian] history, are innovative, adventurous, swift to action, acquisitive and keen to expand their empire.” — Edith Hall, The Daily Telegraph (London), 2 May 2026 Did you know? While acquisitive is a useful synonym of the likes of greedy [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greedy] and avaricious [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avaricious], it’s relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, acquire [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquire] and acquisition [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisition]. The former of that pair is most often used to mean “to get as one’s own,” as in “skills acquired through practice”; the latter refers either to the act of acquiring something, as in “the acquisition of skills,” or to something acquired or gained, as in “the museum’s recent acquisitions.” All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word acquīrere, meaning “to acquire.” While acquire and acquisition have both been in use since the 15th century, acquisitive is a bit younger. The word has a somewhat rare use meaning “capable of acquiring” that dates to the late 16th century, but its “greedy” meaning dates only to the early 19th century.

semiquincentennial

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2026 is: semiquincentennial • \sem-ee-kwin-sen-TEN-ee-ul\  • noun Semiquincentennial refers to a 250th anniversary or its celebration. The word can also be used as an adjective to describe something related to or associated with such an anniversary or its celebration, as in “semiquincentennial festivities.” // The town’s annual fireworks show promises to be even more spectacular than usual in honor of the nation’s semiquincentennial. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiquincentennial] Examples: “July 4, 2026 marks the nation’s semiquincentennial—its 250th birthday since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.” — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 13 June 2025 Did you know? Everyone knows that if you stick a feather in your hat for, say, a Fourth of July celebration, it is called “macaroni [https://bit.ly/43P4YWP].” But what does a Yankee Doodle Dandy call the celebration itself, specifically when it marks the 250th year since the nation’s founding? Such a special day calls for a special word and semiquincentennial fits the bill, as it does for any anniversary of the same esteemed and venerable vintage. If the word’s mouthful of seven syllables overwhelms, it’s simple to break down. The prefix semi- [https://bit.ly/4oM9E9l] here means “half in quantity or value,” while quincentennial refers to a whopping 500th anniversary or its celebration. (Quin- comes from the Latin word quinque, meaning “five,” and centennial comes in part from the Latin centum, meaning “hundred.”) Hence a semiquincentennial is celebrated precisely halfway en route to a quincentennial. May knowing this etymology be a feather in your cap [https://bit.ly/44r8Ehx] at your semiquincentennial BBQ.

corrode

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2026 is: corrode • \kuh-ROHD\  • verb Corrode means "to slowly break apart and destroy (metal, an object, etc.) through a chemical process" or "to undergo such a process." It is also used as a synonym of undermine [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undermine] to mean "to gradually destroy or weaken." // Several sections of the pipe have corroded and will need to be replaced. // Years of lies and secrets had corroded their relationship. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corrode] Examples: "Each piece is made of durable steel with a powder coating that won’t rust, fade, or corrode in the weather." — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026 Did you know? Corrode comes from the Latin verb corrōdere, meaning "to gnaw or chew up." Corrōdere, in turn, combines the prefix cor- (used here as an intensifier with the meaning of "completely") with the verb rōdere ("to gnaw"). (You may recognize another rōdere descendent, rodent [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rodent], as a word for members of an order of gnaw-happy mammals.) At one time, corrode was used to literally indicate the action of gnawing away, as in "woodworms corroded the wood." But it is the more figurative senses from the action of gnawing or eating away that have persisted, as in "salt water corroded the iron" or "a lack of transparency by local officials is corroding public trust."