The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day is bespoke. Read on for what it means, how it’s used, and more.

What It Means

Bespoke is a synonym of custom-made and is used to describe anything made to an individual’s desired specifications.

// While factory-made furniture is almost always less expensive, nothing beats the charm of a bespoke, hand-carved chair or table.

BESPOKE in Context

“Salt boxes are, or have become, a Baltimore specialty. Nine hundred or so of these bespoke wooden bins—about as wide as a refrigerator, as tall as a toddler, as yellow as a rubber ducky—are stationed strategically throughout the city, mostly on streets too narrow or hills too steep for plows.” — Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2022

Did You Know?

In the English language of yore, the verb bespeak had various meanings, including “to speak,” “to accuse,” and “to complain.” In the 16th century, bespeak acquired another meaning: “to order or arrange in advance.” It is from that sense that we get the adjective bespoke, referring to clothes and other things that are ordered before they are made. Bespoke has enjoyed a spike in usage in recent years, perhaps due to consumer trends that champion all things artisanal over those that are prefab.

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