maverick

maverick

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2026 is: maverick • \MAV-rik\  • noun Maverick refers to a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group; in other words, a nonconformist [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonconformist]. // Ayo has always been a bit of a maverick in the fashion world, inventing new trends rather than following them. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maverick] Examples: “[Luis] Alvarez [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luis-Alvarez] has been described as a scientific Indiana Jones, but his reputation as a maverick was built on a foundation of patience and discipline.” — Alec Nevala-Lee, Collisions: A Physicist’s Journey from Hiroshima to the Death of the Dinosaurs, 2025 Did you know? When a client gave Samuel A. Maverick 400 cattle to settle a $1,200 debt, the 19th-century south Texas lawyer had no use for them, so he left the cattle unbranded and allowed them to roam freely (supposedly under the supervision of one of his employees). Neighboring stockmen recognized their opportunity and seized it, branding and herding the stray cattle as their own. Maverick eventually recognized the folly of the situation and sold what was left of his depleted herd, but not before his name became synonymous with such unbranded livestock. By the end of the 19th century, the term maverick was being used to refer to individuals who prefer, like cattle left to their own devices, to blaze their own trails.

stalwart

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2026 is: stalwart • \STAWL-wert\  • adjective Stalwart is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is very loyal and dedicated or that is physically or mentally strong. // He was a stalwart civil rights supporter throughout his political career. // The football team's stalwart defense only gave up a single field goal in the second half. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalwart] Examples: "Arbour is a stalwart defender of women's rights, having witnessed the struggle for equality during Quebec's Quiet Revolution [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quiet-Revolution]." — Allison Hanes, The Montreal Gazette, 6 May 2026 Did you know? Stalwart is a word with ancient roots that has lent its stalwart service to the English language for centuries. Coming, via Middle English, from the Old English word stǣlwierthe, meaning "serviceable," stalwart describes people or things that are marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit, as revealed by traits such as loyalty and steadfastness, capability and dependability, or physical robustness. Old oak trees, for example, have long been described as stalwart for their imposing stature and endurance. A baseball team's closing pitcher may be deemed stalwart by showing mental fortitude in consistently striking out opposing batters in high-pressure situations. And a stalwart lover is one who, through thick and thin, is never gonna give you up [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rickroll], never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and hurt you.

stalwart

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2026 is: stalwart • \STAWL-wert\  • adjective Stalwart is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is very loyal and dedicated or that is physically or mentally strong. // He was a stalwart civil rights supporter throughout his political career. // The football team's stalwart defense only gave up a single field goal in the second half. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalwart] Examples: "Arbour is a stalwart defender of women's rights, having witnessed the struggle for equality during Quebec's Quiet Revolution [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quiet-Revolution]." — Allison Hanes, The Montreal Gazette, 6 May 2026 Did you know? Stalwart is a word with ancient roots that has lent its stalwart service to the English language for centuries. Coming, via Middle English, from the Old English word stǣlwierthe, meaning "serviceable," stalwart describes people or things that are marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit, as revealed by traits such as loyalty and steadfastness, capability and dependability, or physical robustness. Old oak trees, for example, have long been described as stalwart for their imposing stature and endurance. A baseball team's closing pitcher may be deemed stalwart by showing mental fortitude in consistently striking out opposing batters in high-pressure situations. And a stalwart lover is one who, through thick and thin, is never gonna give you up [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rickroll], never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and hurt you.

dog days

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2026 is: dog days • \DAWG-DAYZ\  • plural noun Dog days is a plural noun that refers to the hottest time of the year, which in the northern hemisphere is usually between early July and early September. Dog days can also refer to a period of stagnation or inactivity suggestive of hot, sultry weather when it can be difficult to summon the energy required for hard work. // Spending the day at a swimming hole has always been the perfect relief for the dog days of summer. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog%20days] Examples: “When the dog days of summer were at their fullest, my new friends and I often played scrub baseball at Cameron Street School. We also rode our bicycles all over the south end.” — Gary Baldwin, The Peterborough (Ontario) Examiner, 19 July 2025 Did you know? Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but let’s be serious: when it’s stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn’t tempted to shirk work to go lie doggo [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doggo] in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you’re curious about how dogs got singled out in this expression, we might say it was in the stars. The dog in dog days is the Dog Star, aka Sirius [https://www.britannica.com/place/Sirius-star], the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Orion] in the eponymous constellation. The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer.

raffish

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2026 is: raffish • \RAF-ish\  • adjective Raffish describes people and things that show a careless but usually attractive unconventionality. // She didn't expect to like him but his raffish charm quickly won her over. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raffish] Examples: "Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant." — David Wingrave, Harper's Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Raffish combines the English noun raff [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raff] with the suffix -ish [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ish], which in this case means "characteristic of": when we use the word raffish, we literally mean "resembling raff." But what exactly is raff? You might be more familiar with raff's synonym, riffraff [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riffraff], which refers to disreputable people of low social status. Despite the resemblance, these two nouns are distinct in origin. Raff comes directly from the Middle English raf, meaning "rubbish," while riffraff descends from the Anglo-French rif e raf, meaning "altogether." The similarities between raff and riffraff prompted people to start using the two words as synonyms, and raff gained a "rabble [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabble]" sense. It was that ragtag raff that gave rise to the adjective raffish in the late 1700s.