Word of the Day: stilted

The word stilted has appeared in 59 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 11 in “The Radical Act of Eating With Strangers” by Setareh Baig:

After an initial warm-up period, the Galentine’s Day brunch was in full swing. First came a flurry of compliments, shared among unfamiliar faces. (I love your purse! Cool coat. Great boots!) Then the host shared some warm welcomes and brief introductions. After that, Ms. Michaud — seated at the table with the guests, near the kitchen for easy serving — left everyone to fend for themselves and, within a few minutes, the stilted mood among strangers turned cozy and natural.

One psychological trait that experts identify as essential to pursuing and creating new connections is optimism. After all, what could be more fundamentally optimistic than attending a dinner with a table full of strangers, expecting to make a new friend?

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word stilted in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how stilted can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.