blandishment

blandishment

From Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day by Merriam-Webster

June 12, 2026 · 2 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the word 'blandishment' and its usage in language.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2026 is: blandishment • \BLAN-dish-munt\  • noun Blandishments are nice things that you say or do to convince someone to do something. Blandishment is usually used in the plural form. // Despite the many blandishments of the dressing room attendant, we were resolved not to overspend at the fashion boutique. See the entry > Examples: “… he sought to turn the attack around by saying his vast wealth—which has allowed him to richly fund his political endeavors—made him immune to the blandishments of plutocrats and corporate interests.” — Mark Z. Barabak, The Los Angeles Times , 23 Feb. 2026 Did you know? When Star Wars audiences first meet former smuggler Lando Calrissian—played iconically by Billy Dee Williams—in The Empire Strikes Back , he is full of blandishments, offering flattery (telling Leia “You truly belong here with us among the clouds”) and gifts to our heroes in the form of food and drink (“Will you join me for a little refreshment?”) in order to entice them into what we soon discover is a trap. Notably, before the whole sordid deal goes down (and before Lando’s eventual redemption), Han Solo calls him “an…

Topics covered

  • language
  • vocabulary
  • flattery
  • influence
  • communication

Keywords

  • blandishment
  • flattery
  • influence
  • language
  • vocabulary
  • communication
  • persuasion

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Empire Strikes Back

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