Budding

Latest answer — September 11, 2026

98 Across

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Clue explained

NASCENT means just beginning to develop or emerge, equivalent to “budding” in the figurative sense. It is an adjective modifying something in its early stages.

Clue type:
Definition
A young plant bud beginning to open

WSJ Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 11, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Biblical mounts
  2. 6Thermometers, barometers, etc.
  3. 13Combative frame of mind
  4. 20Fingerprint feature
  5. 21Windpipe
  6. 22Medical condition more common in fiction than in real life
  7. 23Like the I-29 and I-94 highways?
  8. 25Finds hilarious, perhaps
  9. 26Good enough
  10. 27Strong warning, figuratively
  11. 29Forest floor feature
  12. 30For fear that
  13. 31Faucet attachments
  14. 33Hot and dry
  15. 36Blackpool bloke
  16. 37Year in a Kubrick film, in letters
  17. 40Criticized annoyingly
  18. 41Repeat mindlessly
  19. 44Personality test?
  20. 49Secondary emphasis for students majoring in Gorgonzola?
  21. 52Savor
  22. 53Plainly visible
  23. 55Aggrieved feeling
  24. 56Bond, say
  25. 57Engage in revolution
  26. 58Asner and O’Neill
  27. 59Puts in the ground
  28. 60Mammal that yields a perfume ingredient
  29. 61Decimal fraction
  30. 63They may accompany ifs and buts
  31. 64Ball holder
  32. 65Cause of lip irritation, for some?
  33. 69Pump purchase
  34. 72Shoreline structure
  35. 74Bias
  36. 75Bedeck
  37. 77Do some book repair
  38. 80Crowlike bird
  39. 83Bond, say
  40. 84“I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way” speaker
  41. 85Clementine cousin
  42. 86Unyielding
  43. 88Photoshop tool
  44. 89Cruise for drummers?
  45. 91Part of a Latin dance duo?
  46. 93“For shame!”
  47. 94Tropical starch source
  48. 95Ltr. holder
  49. 97Harbor sights
  50. 98Budding
  51. 101Manual audience
  52. 103Hand holders
  53. 107Sign of health
  54. 109Gourmet chips ingredient
  55. 112Ballet need
  56. 114Knocking sound
  57. 117Kinshasa railroad crossing?
  58. 119Womb-related
  59. 120River paddler
  60. 121Gave an edge to
  61. 122Cuts in half
  62. 123“I don’t want to hear the details!”
  63. 124Pieces of punditry

Down

  1. 1Really bad
  2. 2Triangle or trapezoid
  3. 3Does a mailroom chore
  4. 4Crop problem
  5. 5Unappealing food
  6. 6Juicing juice
  7. 7History topic
  8. 8Mother-of-pearl
  9. 9Major split
  10. 10Wheeling’s river
  11. 11Pay for a pad
  12. 12Long stories
  13. 13Disney’s Pumbaa, e.g.
  14. 14Latin lover’s word
  15. 15Gene messenger
  16. 16Prefix suggesting endlessness
  17. 17Poet’s not-quite-rhyming technique
  18. 18Acapulco aunts
  19. 19Boaters, e.g.
  20. 24Uncritically enthusiastic
  21. 28Diamond figures
  22. 32Become harder to climb
  23. 34Worshipful
  24. 35Place back in custody
  25. 36Attack from all sides
  26. 38Seething
  27. 39Words of understanding
  28. 42Somewhat bad
  29. 43Goes astray
  30. 44Belch
  31. 45Bottled spirit?
  32. 46Savory ovoid
  33. 47Ceremony
  34. 48Traveling in an Airstream, say
  35. 50Neither Rep. nor Dem.
  36. 51QB mistakes
  37. 54A fan of
  38. 57Critic’s unit
  39. 62“___ a Liar” (song by the Bee Gees)
  40. 63Game opener
  41. 65Emergency transport
  42. 66Bravo preceder
  43. 67Gibe
  44. 68Like some tuition
  45. 69V member
  46. 70“As You Like It” forest
  47. 71Derisive sound
  48. 72Text in hopes of a reply
  49. 73Precious bars
  50. 75Bushy dos
  51. 76Tiresome task
  52. 77Bob alternative
  53. 78Aphrodite’s offspring
  54. 79Folding money
  55. 80The beginning
  56. 81Coding pioneer Lovelace
  57. 82Hourly rate
  58. 87Former boys
  59. 88Prods
  60. 90Brother of Electra
  61. 92Care for
  62. 96Crass
  63. 99In the know
  64. 100Carpet securers
  65. 102Feed, as a fire
  66. 103Put ___ to (end)
  67. 104Cologne’s river
  68. 105Took part in a stock exchange?
  69. 106Puts in the mail
  70. 107Vittles
  71. 108Sol followers
  72. 110Suds source
  73. 111Taylor-Joy of “Furiosa”
  74. 113Repeat mindlessly
  75. 115Peculiarity
  76. 116Kitchen invader
  77. 118Scout’s brother in “To Kill a Mockingbird”

The answer to “Budding” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is NASCENT — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 11, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 98-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Budding” answer

NASCENT (7 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is NASCENT.

What does NASCENT mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of NASCENT is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(adjective)

  • (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential

When else has “Budding” appeared?

Wall Street Journal reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 11, 2026 (most recent) → NASCENT. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Budding”?

The answer is NASCENT, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 11, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Budding”?

7 letters: NASCENT.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 11, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 98-Across.

Can “Budding” have a different answer?

Yes — Wall Street Journal sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's WSJ answers?

The full grid for September 11, 2026 is on the WSJ answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

Wall Street Journal Crossword is published by The Wall Street Journal; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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