Word of the Day: charisma

The word charisma has appeared in 262 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on April 26 in the Opinion essay “The Phone Call Between Belafonte and King That Changed Both Men’s Lives” by Jonathan Eig:

Dr. King sought to build a support system in those early days and sensed “that I was one of the forces in that historical moment that was willing,” as Mr. Belafonte later told me, “to commit to that cause.”

But Mr. Belafonte might not have committed so fully if not for the almost instant bond the men forged. Even in that first phone call, Mr. Belafonte said, he was struck by Dr. King’s attentiveness. Dr. King listened more than he spoke. He asked questions. He keyed in on Mr. Belafonte’s interest in labor unions, wondering how unions might support this growing movement, which, it should be remembered, had not yet transcended Montgomery.

… Even in the earliest days of the Montgomery bus boycott, Dr. King observed that the northern news media would play a major role in shaping national opinion and driving political change. Reporters couldn’t get enough of the Baptist preacher with an advanced degree in theology. Dr. King captivated television and radio audiences. Even among Baptist preachers, Dr. King’s spellbinding oratory and charisma were rare.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word charisma 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 charisma 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.