Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2026 is:





hobnob • \HAHB-nahb\ • verb

To hobnob is to socialize with others, especially with people of high social status.

// A great deal can be learned about the entertainment industry by hobnobbing with folks at film festivals.

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Examples:

“My whole attitude has been—because all I care about is the music—I don’t need to make the scene. I don’t need to hobnob with the executives because I see them all the rest of the year.” — Jem Aswad, quoted in Variety, 14 Apr. 2026





Did you know?

In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warns Viola that Sir Andrew wants to duel, telling her “‘Hob, nob’ is his word” and then adding the gloss “give’t or take’t.” In today’s English, he might have said “take it or leave it.” Sir Toby’s hob, nob is an alteration of hab nab (“hit or miss,” “however things may turn out”), itself likely a shortening of the Middle English phrase habbe or nabbe (“whether I have or don’t have”). After Shakespeare’s day, hob-nob and hob or nob were used adverbially to mean “randomly.” And to drink hobnob, or hob or nob, was to take turns with one’s drinking buddies toasting each other’s health. Later, hobnob (as well as hob or nob, hob-a-nob, etc.) was verbified to mean “to drink socially” and then, dropping the booze, “to spend time with someone in a friendly way.” Today hobnob is used especially in situations where someone is chatting up someone famous or important, as in “hobnobbing with celebs.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2026 is:





patina • \puh-TEE-nuh\ • noun

A patina is a usually green film that forms on copper and bronze that is exposed to moist air for an extended time. The word patina can also refer to a shiny or dark surface that over time forms naturally on something (such as wood or leather), or to a literal or figurative thin layer.

// The town erected a statue in her honor, which over the years developed a seafoam green patina.

// Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness.

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Examples:

"Family, friends and neighbors filled the frames with dancing and dominoes; their apartments painted in shades of mint, butter yellow and ... pink, flecked with a patina cultivated by humidity and time." — Suzy Exposito, The Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026





Did you know?

When Italians applied the word patina to the green film that forms on the surface of copper, they were drawing from Latin, in which patina means "a shallow dish." (Presumably, the Italian meaning developed from the observation of such film forming on copper dishes.) By the mid-18th century, English speakers were also calling the green film patina, and by the 20th century, they'd expanded the word's application to surface appearances of things that have grown more beautiful with age or use—think of an old wooden desk or a tarnished silver goblet. Use of the word to refer to thin layers both literal and figurative ("a patina of grime," "a patina of respectability") followed soon after. The related verb patinate means "to give a patina to."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2026 is:





loath • \LOHTH\ • adjective

A person who is loath to do something is unwilling or reluctant to do that thing.

// Proud of the company he had built, Henry was loath to admit that it was time to think about retiring.

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Examples:

“On these runs, I was loath to stop. I dreaded zebra crossings and the city-center pavements, and instead ran into the surrounding countryside, abandoning myself to the endless roads that seemed to be going nowhere.” — Madeline Potter, The Roma: A Traveling History, 2025





Did you know?

Loath as some language sticklers may be to accept it—indeed, they may loathe the fact—loathe is an accepted, though less common, spelling variant of the adjective loath. The language sticklers know that loathe is most often used as a verb meaning "to hate," and their desire to keep the language tidy by letting loath alone mean "not willing or wanting to do something" is understandable. But here’s the rub: language is very often untidy. Both loath and loathe trace back to the Old English word lāth, meaning “loathsome, disgusting.” Each has had a number of variant spellings over the years, and for at least some portion of their history each word has taken on the spelling of the other. If you would like to keep the two distinct according to prevailing preferences, remember that loath is how you feel (reluctant, unwilling), and loathe is what you do (hate, dislike).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2026 is:





stigma • \STIG-muh\ • noun

Stigma refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.

// The organization is animated by a commitment to challenging stigmas associated with the condition.

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Examples:

“The stigma surrounding workers of my generation is real—some depict us as burned-out, overworked employees who are difficult to manage and are merely looking for a paycheck while mapping out our exit strategy for retirement.” — Suzie Jimenez, Business Insider, 21 July 2026





Did you know?

Tattoos are now common, but not long ago adorning one’s body with ink was frowned upon by much of mainstream society. Even today, tattooed individuals in some communities and contexts face stigma based on their particular form of self-expression. It turns out that the link between tattoos and stigma is ancient, at least etymologically. The roots of stigma trace back all the way to the Greek verb stizein, meaning “to tattoo,” which led to the Latin noun stigma meaning “mark” or “brand.” The earliest English uses of stigma hew close to those of its Latin forebear; the word first referred to a brand left by a hot iron. In modern use, the scar is figurative: stigma most often refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something, as when people talk about the stigma associated with mental illness, or the stigma of poverty.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 8, 2026 is:





magnanimous • \mag-NAN-uh-mus\ • adjective

Magnanimous is a formal word that means “having or showing a generous and kind nature.”

// She was too magnanimous to resent the unkind words of those grousing about her winning the spelling bee.

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Examples:

“Think before you act or speak. Drive and walk carefully. Be magnanimous and forgiving if others make a boo-boo.” — Georgia Nicols, The Boston Globe, 27 Nov. 2025





Did you know?

When you see anima, animus, or a similar formation in a word, it’s often an indicator of something alive, lively, or spirited. Something described as animated is full of life, for example, and the word animal refers to a living thing. The Latin word anima means “breath” or “soul” and animus means “spirit.” In magnanimous, animus is joined by the Latin word magnus, meaning “great.” Basically meaning “greatness of spirit,” magnanimity is the opposite of selfishness. A truly magnanimous person can lose without complaining and win without gloating, and angry disputes can sometimes be resolved when one side makes a magnanimous gesture toward the other.