"Watchword" is a formal, businesslike, semi-common word that's fun to say, thanks to the alliteration.

Pick it when you want to emphasize how important some particular word or phrase is to a group of a people, or to a social movement, or to a particular time and place in history.

In general, we talk about a word or phrase being (or becoming) the watchword of some sphere or movement or period in time or in some particular context. For example: "'click-bait' became the watchword of the Internet economy" (Scientific American). We also say that something is the watchword for some person or group: "Surveillance is becoming a watchword for men with less-aggressive prostate cancer" (Nature).

For the sake of logic, you might prefer to call a phrase with multiple words "watchwords" instead of "a watchword," as in "'Liberty or death!' are their watchwords." But many writers take the opposite approach, which makes sense when you think about how, say, a "password" can be an entire phrase, too, as in "The Gryffindor password is 'Pig Snout.'" Here are some more examples:
   —"the watchword was 'Mr. Green'" (Lewis Wingfield)
  —"Christian perfection was a chosen watchword" (Frederic W. MacDonald) 
   —"our watchword being, Liberty or death!" (John H. Aughey)

"The watchwords of the neurodiversity movement are 'nothing about us without us.' That means autistic people and their families help to define therapy goals."
 — Claudia Wallis, Scientific American, 1 December 2022

"Authenticity is the watchword for the world's best-selling football simulator [video game]... [which] delivered up to 32 separate but simultaneously recorded tracks created by microphones dotted around the stadium."
— Leo Kelion, BBC, 7 October 2014

has this page helped you understand "watchword"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "watchword" without saying "keyword" or "word for a core value."

try it out:

Paul Divinigracia was a devoted caretaker of his spouse, who had Alzheimer's. In an interview in the New York Times, he said that "patience" was "the watchword of his existence."  

With that in mind as an example, talk about the watchword of your own existence. Or, if picking one is too daunting, talk about the watchword of your day.

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "Stop, Drop, & Anagram!"

I’ll give you an 8-letter word, along with a quote with a blank in it. Your job is to drop a letter from the word, then reassemble it into the 7-letter word that fits meaningfully into the blank. You'll find the answer at the bottom of the issue. Enjoy!

Try this one today:

IMPROVED.

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. _______ purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys" (Luke 12:33).

review this word:

1. The opposite of a WATCHWORD could be

A. an APOTHEOSIS: the best, highest, and most perfect part or example of something.
B. an ANTITHESIS: a word or idea in perfect opposition to what a person or a group stands for.
C. a SHIP OF THESEUS: a thing with individual parts that have changed so much that, maybe, it's no longer the same thing at all.

2. In The Story of Music, Howard Goodall wrote: "It was... a new approach to music altogether. _____, the watchwords of the previous generation, gave way to the Pleasure Principle. Instead of trying to improve their listeners, musicians started pampering them."

A. Faith and morality
B. Pianists and violinists
C. Composers and audiences

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A Answer to the game question: IMPROVED becomes PROVIDE: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys" (Luke 12:33).

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.