"Word Of The Day" List - 2026

May these words provide some beautiful inspiration in your writing!

December 2025:

Alpenglow (n.) – a reddish glow often seen on the summits of mountains just before sunrise or just after sunset

Euphonious (adj.) – pleasant in sound, agreeable to the ear

Clement (adj.) – mild or merciful in disposition or character

Jollification (n.) – merrymaking or jolly festivity

Farrago (n.) – a confused mixture, hodgepodge, medley

Sotto voce (adv.) – in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard

Brumal (adj.) – wintry

Mascot (n.) – an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck

Simonize (v.) – to shine or polish to a high sheen, especially with wax

Threshold (n.) – a place or point of entering or beginning

January 2026:

First-foot (n.) – the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year’s Day

Aphorism (n.) – a short saying or observation that’s witty or wise

Moschate (adj.) – having a musky smell

Skosh (n.) – a little bit; a small amount

Vituperate (v.) – to address with harsh or abusive language

Panglossian (adj.) – extremely optimistic despite ongoing hardship or adversity

Caesura (n.) – a break or pause, usually near the middle of a line of poetry

Reticent (adj.) – disposed to be silent or not to speak freely

Mephitic (adj.) – noxious, pestilential, poisonous

Sockeroo (n.) – a notable success

Jocund (adj.) – cheerful, merry or glad

Extempore (adv.) – on the spur of the moment

Apocope (n.) – loss or omission of the last letter, syllable, or part of a word

Flummox (v.) – to bewilder or confuse

Sagittate (adj.) – shaped like an arrowhead

Mondegreen (n.) – a word or phrase from a mishearing of another word or phrase, especially in a song or poem

Hypethral (adj.) – (of a classical building) wholly or partly open to the sky

Pedagogy (n.) – the art or science of teaching

Circumambient (adj.) – surrounding; encompassing

Krummholz (n.) – a forest of stunted trees near the timber line on a mountain

Anatine (adj.) – resembling a duck

Ludic (adj.) – playful in an aimless way

Inure (v.) – to accustom to hardship, difficulty, or pain

Boustrophedon (n.) – an ancient method of writing in which the lines run alternately from right to left and from left to right

Atiptoe (adv.) – while standing or walking on tiptoe

Plage (n.) – a beach at a seashore resort

Tutoyer (v.) – to address someone familiarly

Mythomania (n.) – lying or exaggerating to an abnormal degree

Supervene (v.) – to take place or occur as something additional or extraneous

Plangent (adj) – resounding loudly, especially with a sorrowful sound, as a bell

February 2026:

Ergophobia (n.) – an abnormal fear of work

Mantic (adj.) – of or relating to divination

Gambit (n.) – a maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage

Ossify (v.) – to become rigid in habits, attitudes, or opinions

Lateral (adj.) – situated at, proceeding from, or directed to a side

Boohoo (v.) – to weep noisily

Xylography (n.) – the art of engraving on wood

Equanimous (adj.) – having or showing mental and emotional composure

Vilipend (v.) – to regard or treat as of little value or account

Eudemonic (adj.) – pertaining or conducive to happiness

Faux pas (n.) – an embarrassing social blunder

Catechize (v.) – to question closely

Loblolly (n.) – a mire or mudhole

Billet-doux (n.) – a love letter (literally, “sweet note” in French)

Higgledy-piggledy (adv.) – in a jumbled, confused, or disorderly manner

Adret (n.) – a side of a mountain receiving direct sunlight

Lunation (n.) – the period of time from one new moon to the next

Sobersided (adj.) – solemn in disposition or character

Schlep (v.) – to carry or lug

Lodestar (n.) – something that serves as a guide or on which attention is fixed

Breviloquent (adj.) – speaking or expressed in a concise or terse style

Yaw (v.) – to deviate from a straight course, as a ship

Platitude (n.) – a dull or trite remark

Odontoid (adj.) – of or resembling a tooth

Mumpsimus (n.) – a person who insists on doing things in an incorrect way

Epistolize (v.) – to write a letter

Ascribe (v.) – to attribute

Vade Mecum (n.) – something a person carries around for frequent or regular use

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Be sure to check back on March 31st for newly added words!

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