Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day: "Veracity" (December 19, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day explores the word “veracity,” focusing on its meaning, origins, and contemporary relevance. The episode ties the word to current issues of misinformation and emphasizes its importance in a digital age.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Definition and Usage

• Spelling & Part of Speech:
  • “Veracity” (V E R A C I T Y) is a noun.
• Meaning:
  • Refers to truth or accuracy.
  • Also denotes the quality of being truthful or honest.

2. Usage in Context (00:28)

• The episode features a sentence from the Hamilton Spectator by Laura Ewan:

  “Raise your hand if you've been questioning the veracity of real events, news stories and images posted on social media lately.”

• Commentary connects veracity to the challenge of discerning truth amid widespread misinformation, especially on social media.

3. Contemporary Relevance (00:45)

• Observation on digital misinformation:

  “…thanks to the proliferation of misinformation spawned by artificial intelligence, every day on the Internet is an exercise in judgment and media literacy.”

• Highlights the increasing difficulty of verifying information online and the necessity of developing media literacy to evaluate veracity.

4. Etymology and Related Words (01:03)

• Origin:
  • In use since the early 17th century.
  • Derived from the Latin adjective verax (“truthful”), which comes from verus (“true”).
• Related Words:
  • Verity: the quality of being true.
  • Verify: to establish the truth of.
  • Verisimilitude: the appearance of truth.
  • Veraciousness: a rarer synonym for veracity, also derived from verax.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Veracity in the Modern Landscape:

  “Thanks to the proliferation of misinformation spawned by artificial intelligence, every day on the Internet is an exercise in judgment and media literacy.”
  – Peter Sokolowski (00:45)

• On the Etymology:

  “Veracity has been in use since the early 17th century, and we can honestly tell you that it comes from the Latin adjective verax, meaning truthful, which in turn comes from the earlier verus, meaning true.”
  – Peter Sokolowski (01:03)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00] Introduction of the word “veracity”
• [00:28] Example usage from the Hamilton Spectator
• [00:45] Discussion of misinformation and media literacy
• [01:03] Etymology and related words

Language and Tone

The episode maintains a formal yet approachable and educational tone, with an emphasis on curiosity and relevance to everyday life, reflecting the intent to empower listeners with both knowledge of vocabulary and media literacy.

Summary by Merriam-Webster’s Peter Sokolowski.
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