Heroic dogs, market jitters, and a historically wet winter

Catch up on this week in words.

News from January 3–January 9, 2026 Stories about heroic dogs, market jitters, and a historically wet winter all contributed to the vocabulary from this week's news. Each week, we scan the latest headlines to spot words in action. From major news stories to pop culture buzz, this feature highlights language as it's unfolding. See this week's words!

The Most Saved Word In 2021...

The most saved words of 2021!

The Most Saved Words in 2021 Can you guess what the most saved word on Dictionary.com was in 2021? Scroll down to see the top 10 saved words, then click here to find out the #1 saved word of 2021!

pernicious causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful Save This Word

desolate barren or laid waste; devastated Save This Word

ephemeral lasting a very short time; short-lived Save This Word

egregious extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant Save This Word

ostentatious

characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others

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capricious

subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic

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conspicuous

easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable

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benevolent

characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings

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ubiquitous

existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent

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ambiguous

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal

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