Word of the Day
One word. Complete definition, etymology, quiz. Every day, a new one.
Sunday, May 10 · Word #130
New word in
/rɪˈkælsɪtr(ə)nt/
recalcitrant
Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.
The recalcitrant student refused to follow any classroom rules, regardless of consequences.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin recalcitrare "to kick back" — re- (back) + calcitrare (to kick), from calx (heel).
Write your own sentence
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Why learning one word a day builds real vocabulary
Vocabulary acquisition research consistently points to the same finding: people learn and retain words best when they encounter them in context, with spaced repetition over time. Our Word of the Day is designed around exactly this: a single word each day, presented with a vivid example sentence, etymology, synonyms, and a comprehension quiz. The quiz is not about testing memory of the definition — it's about testing whether you can use the word correctly in context, which is the real measure of vocabulary acquisition.
How we choose our daily words
Our word list was curated with a specific philosophy: every word should be genuinely interesting, learnable in a single sitting, and useful in at least some real context. We avoid the trap of many word-a-day services that lean too heavily on obscure legal or archaic terms that no one actually uses. Instead, we mix genuinely rare but beautiful words with professional vocabulary you'll actually deploy and commonly misused words it helps to get right.
Tips for remembering new words
The most effective technique is simple: use the word in a sentence you write yourself within an hour of learning it. You don't need to send the sentence to anyone — writing it is enough to engage your memory encoding pathways. Better yet, text the word to someone and explain it. Teaching a concept is the single most powerful memory consolidation technique known to learning science.