The Meaning of Meraki: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of meraki? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word meraki, including its definition, etymology, usage, example uses, and more!

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

What does the word meraki mean?

According to NPR, Urban Dictionary, and Darling Magazine, the word meraki (pronunciation: merak-kee) is a Greek adjective that describes doing something with soul, creativity, love and passion. The Modern Greeks describe this as putting yourself into whatever you are going. This could be used to describe anything from cooking or preparing a meal, to arranging a room and more. This word is sometimes considered untranslatable into English, since there is no English equivalent to this word. Translators could equate this word with the English word “passionate” or the adverb “passionately,” though these are slightly different. This is one of many intriguing words in other languages.

An interior designer might set an elegant table or choose decorations with meraki, putting her whole soul and essence into the design. A chef might put everything into a dish. This modern Greek word refers to a labor of love, particularly when it comes to artistic tasks that one gives their absolute devotion or undivided attention to.

The word meraki also has a couple of other meanings, though these are less common. According to Cisco, Meraki is also  a large-scale cloud networking service. They are able to support networks with hundreds of thousands of devices as well as small businesses. Meraki MX devices allow you to easily build VPN tunnels with just a couple of clicks, which can assist in areas like user data, Wi-Fi or other forms of wireless networks that connect to a browser, cookies, and the privacy of an IP address. 

The word Meraki is also used as a gender-neutral name, according to Names. While one might see this in a list of surnames, it can also be used as a first name for either boys or girls. As a last name, there are less than 100 people with this name in the United States in the year 2010. There have been less than 100 people named Meraki in the United States since the year 1880. If you are looking for a unique, uncommon first name for a child, consider Meraki. It has a beautiful meaning and you can be certain that none of your child’s classmates will have this name! 

What is the origin of the word meraki?

The word meraki is of Greek origin. According to Greeker than the Greeks, Greek is the richest language in the world. This is Europe’s oldest language and it has more than 5 million words and 70 million word types. The Greek language has existed for over 4,000 years. While other ancient languages like Babylonian and Sumerian did exist before the Greek language, Greek is the only language aside from Chinese whose dialects have persisted and remain in use today. 

How can the word meraki be used in a sentence?

The word meraki can be used in many different ways in different sentences. Below are examples of the word meraki. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today. You never know, it might become one of your new favorite words to use in everyday life. In this example, a young girl is feeling dejected and her mom comforts her.

Daughter: I’m done playing the clarinet. I never want to touch an instrument as long as I live.

Mom: Honey, what are you talking about? You love the clarinet.

Daughter: Not anymore Everyone is making fun of me for it. I never want to play the clarinet again.

Mom: Hey, now. Don’t let what other people say get you down. Double down, play the clarinet with the meraki I know you can, and show them all up. Become the best clarinet player they’ve ever seen.

Here, the mom described the daughter as playing the clarinet with meraki. This implies that the daughter can play the clarinet with passion and soul, and puts her whole self into playing the clarinet. This word can apply to many different hobbies and artistic endeavors.

What are synonyms for the word meraki?

Although the word meraki is considered untranslatable from the Greek language, there are some different words in English that one can use in its place. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Although these definitions will not match up exactly, it is useful to know English words that can be used in place of the word meraki, since not everyone will know the meaning of this word. Synonyms are also a great way to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the word meraki is provided by Thesaurus.

  •  thrilling
  •  melodramatic
  •  headlong
  •  stirring
  •  high-pressure
  •  burning
  •  ardent
  •  impulsive
  •  impetuous
  •  emotional
  •  deep
  •  expressive
  •  frenzied
  •  strong
  •  inspiring
  •  heartfelt
  •  wild
  •  eloquent
  •  eager
  •  passionate
  •  glowing
  •  warm
  •  hot
  •  hotblooded
  •  high-powered
  •  animated
  •  stimulated
  •  poignant
  •  heated
  •  impassioned
  •  violent
  •  vehement
  •  affecting
  •  fiery
  •  fervent
  •  forceful
  •  spirited
  •  quickened
  •  zealous
  •  moving
  •  dramatic
  •  blazing
  •  fierce
  •  steamed up
  •  fervid
  •  flaming
  •  intense
  •  precipitate

Overall, the word meraki means doing something with your entire soul. This is often used in reference to artistic activities or hobbies, and is considered an untranslatable word from Greek. The word Meraki is also a type of large-scale cloud networking service provided by Cisco, and can be used as a first name or last name. 

Sources:

  1. Translating the Untranslatable | NPR 
  2. Meraki | Urban Dictionary 
  3. The Meaning of Meraki | WordPress.com 
  4. In Other Words: Meraki | Darling Magazine 
  5. Meraki | Security, Reliability, and Privacy | Cisco 
  6. Greek word Meraki – To Do Something With Love, Passion and a Lot of Soul | Greeker Than the Greeks 
  7. What Does The Name Meraki Mean? | Names 
  8. PASSIONATE Synonyms: 141 Synonyms & Antonyms for PASSIONATE | Thesaurus