science
How long you live may depend much more on your genes than scientists thought
science
U.S. life expectancy hits all-time high
science
The chemical genius of Katharine Burr Blodgett
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
50-year-old NASA jet crashes in flames on Texas runway — taking it out of the Artemis II mission
© Copyright phys.org
science
Gravitational wave signal tests Einstein's theory of general relativity
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
5,000-year-old rock art from ancient Egypt depicts 'terrifying' conquest of the Sinai Peninsula
science
Svalbard’s polar bears are showing remarkable resilience to climate change
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Stone Age teenager was mauled by a bear 28,000 years ago, skeletal analysis confirms
© Copyright phys.org
science
Measuring the quantum extent of a single molecule confined to a nanodroplet
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
February 2026 night sky: What to see and what you need
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Drones could achieve 'infinite flight' after engineers create laser-based wireless power system that charges them from the ground
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Critical moment when El Niño started to erode Russia's Arctic sea ice discovered
science
How new CT scanners ended Heathrow 100ml liquids rule
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smell
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
AI tool reveals hundreds of 'anomalies' in Hubble telescope archives — and some defy classification
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Teenage girl who lived in Italy 12,000 years ago had a rare form of dwarfism, DNA study shows
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Complex building blocks of life can form on space dust — offering new clues to the origins of life
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
Can AI detect cognitive decline better than a doctor? New study reveals surprising accuracy
© Copyright LIVE SCIENCE
science
430,000-year-old wooden handheld tools from Greece are the oldest on record — and they predate modern humans
science
JWST spots most distant galaxy ever, pushing the limits of the observable universe
animal
beauty
book
food
health
how_to
lifestyle
mental
new_jersey
odd_fun
people
politics
science
soccer
sports

Word of the Day

short shrift

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2026 is:

short shrift • \SHORT-SHRIFT\  • noun

Short shrift means “little or no attention or thought” or “quick work.” In religious use it refers to barely adequate time for confession before execution.

// Certain neighborhoods have received short shrift from the city government.

See the entry >

Examples:

“[Charlie] Caplinger echoed the concerns of many speakers at the meeting, with charter captains saying the recreational fishing industry’s economic contributions were being given short shrift.” — Mike Smith, NOLA.com (New Orleans, Louisiana), 6 Nov. 2025

Did you know?

We’ve got a confession to make, but we’ll keep it brief: while it’s technically possible to make “long shrift” of something, you’re unlikely to find long shrift in our dictionary anytime soon. Short shrift, on the other hand, has been keeping it real—real terse, that is—for centuries. The earliest known use of the phrase comes from Shakespeare’s play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to “Make a short shrift” as the king “longs to see your head.” Although now archaic, the noun shrift was understood in Shakespeare’s time to refer to the confession or absolution of sins, so “make a short shrift” meant, quite literally, “keep your confession short.” However, since at least the 19th century the phrase has been used figuratively to refer to a small or inadequate amount of time or attention given to something.



🔴NONSTOP LIVE 🔴 CRAZY, MIND-BLOWING CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS + MORE | Science Max | Full Episodes
🔴NONSTOP LIVE 🔴 CRAZY, MIND-BLOWING CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS + MORE | Science Max | Full Episodes
Which Food Is Stronger? | Earthquakes | Cooking with Science | Science Max
Building a Rocket Car | Newton's Thrid Law Experiment | Full Episodes | Science Max
How to Make a Stomp Rocket | Home Science Experiments | Science Max
Defying Gravity with Spings | Mini Max | Home Science Experiments | Science Max
Spooky Science | Pumpkin Drops, Slime & More | Halloween | Full Episodes | Science Max
How to Make a Spool Racer | Home Science Experiments | Science Max
🔴NONSTOP LIVE 🔴 CRAZY, MIND-BLOWING CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS + MORE | Science Max | Full Episodes