Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2024 is: vulnerable \VUL-nuh-ruh-bul\ adjective
A person described as vulnerable in a general way is someone who is easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally. Vulnerable can also describe a person, group, or thing that is open to attack, harm, or damage. Both senses of vulnerable are often followed by the preposition to.

// It is common to feel especially vulnerable in the wake of major change.

// The patient will be most vulnerable to infection immediately after surgery.

// Your computer is vulnerable to viruses without the proper antivirus software.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulnerable)


Examples:

“A pilot study found the area is particularly vulnerable to dangerous temperatures. The study found an abundance of asphalt and concrete, coupled with a lack of greenery, was leading to an urban heat island effect, which traps heat and can ratchet up temperatures more than 10 degrees.” — Michaela Mulligan, The Tampa Bay (Florida) Times, 19 Apr. 2024

Did you know?

[Superheroes](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superhero) are often depicted in comic books and movies as all-powerful, deflecting boulders and missiles in mid-air with a flick of the wrist, walking through walls, and having indestructible skeletons and whatnot. Fans know, however, that even the mightiest, meatiest protagonist is vulnerable to something, be it [kryptonite](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kryptonite) or forgetting the whereabouts of [one’s hammer](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-comic-book-character). Vulnerable ultimately comes from the Latin noun vulnus, meaning “wound,” by way of the Late Latin adjective vulnerabilis, which English speakers adopted as vulnerable in the early 1600s. Vulnerable continues to carry its original meaning of “capable of being physically wounded,” but since the late 1600s it has also been used figuratively to suggest a defenselessness against non-physical attacks. In other words, someone (or something) can be vulnerable to criticism or failure as well as to literal wounding—even superheroes. So don’t go breaking their hearts, even if you can’t break their bones.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2024 is: hue and cry \HYOO-und-KRYE\ noun
Hue and cry refers to a clamor of alarm or protest in response to something. It can also be used as a synonym of [hubbub](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hubbub) to refer to general noise or uproar.

// After the popular professor was fired by the college, there was such a hue and cry from students that the administration was forced to reconsider its decision.

[See the entry >](https://bit.ly/3TQVKnC)


Examples:

“Bedazzled by the lucrative allures of STEM and the popularity of business degrees, universities have been defunding their humanities programs and transforming themselves into vocational training centers with five-star gyms. … The hue and cry over this benighted movement, in which institutions of higher learning are turning their backs on their fundamental mission, will likely not be enough to stop the forces operating under the cover of budgetary necessity.” — Charles McNulty, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023

Did you know?

Let’s say it’s the Middle Ages in England and a villainous [highwayman](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/highwayman) has just made off with your purse of gold. What do you do? You can’t call the police, because in medieval England there is no organized police force, much less telephones; indeed, [911 is even less than a joke](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Public-Enemy) in your town—it doesn’t exist! Instead, the job of fighting crime belongs to ordinary citizens. The first step is to [raise a stink](https://bit.ly/3JvZXIE)—victims of or witnesses to a crime are expected to yell something like “stop thief!” so that anyone who hears the “hue and cry” will be legally bound to join in the pursuit of the [perfidious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perfidious) [pilferer](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pilfer). Fast-forwarding to today, although hue and cry (hue comes from an Old French word meaning “noise” or “outcry”; cry comes from the synonymous Anglo-French cri) was used in legal contexts upon entering English in the 15th century, it now more often refers to general alarm, complaint, or protest.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2024 is: jubilee \JOO-buh-lee\ noun
Jubilee usually refers to a special anniversary or a celebration of such an anniversary. It can also refer generally to a season of celebration or act of rejoicing, or to a religious song of African Americans referring to a time of future happiness.

// My grandparents will be celebrating their [golden](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/golden) jubilee this year—as Grandpa puts it, "50 years of wedded bliss and occasional blisters."

// The town is planning a year-long jubilee in celebration of its founding 200 years ago.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jubilee)

Examples:

"The Juneteenth Freedom Day Festival … will celebrate the date the remaining 250,000 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, first heard news of the Emancipation Proclamation. The commemoration of that event has spread from Texas and now is observed nationally as a day of jubilee and freedom." — Patrick Murfin, The Chicago Daily Herald, 16 June 2023

Did you know?

[Juneteenth](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Juneteenth), a holiday observed in the United States on June 19 in commemoration of the end of slavery, has several other names as well, including Juneteenth National Independence Day, Freedom Day, Black Independence Day, and [Jubilee Day](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jubilee-Day). The word jubilee here is of special significance; while jubilee is often used generally to refer to an anniversary or celebration of an anniversary, its history is intertwined with the idea of emancipation. According to the biblical book of [Leviticus](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Leviticus), every fifty years Hebrew slaves were to be set free, lands given back to their former owners, and the fields left unharvested. This year of liberty was announced when a ram’s horn was blown. In Hebrew, that ceremonial horn was called a yōbhēl, and the celebratory year took its name from that of the horn. As the Bible was translated into other languages, the concept of the yōbhēl spread around the world, as did its name (albeit with spelling modifications). It eventually entered English via the Anglo-French word jubilé in the 14th century. Since then, jubilee has not only kept its original, biblical sense, but has gained others, including one referring to a [traditional African American spiritual](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fisk-Jubilee-Singers) that looks forward to a time of future happiness and deliverance from oppression.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2024 is: brainiac \BRAY-nee-ak\ noun
A brainiac is a very intelligent person.

// Her ability to solve almost any puzzle within minutes secured her place as the brainiac of the family.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brainiac)


Examples:

"In this modern, adult-oriented take on the classic 'Scooby-Doo' franchise, the series follows the origin story of Velma Dinkley (Kaling), the brainiac of the Mystery Inc. gang. After a corpse is found in her high school, Velma teams up with Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson) and Fred (Glenn Howerton) to solve the murder." — Michaela Zee, Variety, 21 Dec. 2022

Did you know?

As [Superman](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Superman-fictional-character) fans know, Brainiac was the superintelligent villain in the [Action Comics](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Action-Comics) series and its spin-offs. His name is a portmanteau of [brain](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain) and [maniac](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maniac). You don't need x-ray vision to see the connection here—etymologists think Superman's brainy adversary is the likely inspiration for the common noun brainiac. The term was not coined right away though. The comic-book series was launched in 1938 and the character Brainiac debuted in 1958, but current evidence doesn't show general use of brainiac to refer to a superintelligent person until the 1970s.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2024 is: apocryphal \uh-PAH-kruh-ful\ adjective
Something described as apocryphal is of doubtful authenticity; the term is often applied to stories or legends that are often repeated but likely not true. Apocryphal can also describe something resembling or relating to the [Apocrypha](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocrypha), the ancient Jewish books that are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. In the biblical use, the word is often capitalized.

// The legend of how the song was fully composed while the singer was in a deep fever state is probably apocryphal.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocryphal)

Examples:

"There is a likely apocryphal story about how Michelangelo, upon getting criticism about David's nose being too big, climbed a ladder and pretended to chisel it." — Rita Bullwinkel, The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Did you know?

In biblical study, [Apocrypha](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocrypha) refers to books outside an accepted [canon](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canon) of scripture. In modern use, the term refers specifically to a group of ancient Jewish books that are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches; Protestant churches follow Jewish tradition in considering these books noncanonical. Both apocrypha and apocryphal come, via Latin, from the Greek word apokrýptein, meaning "to hide (from), keep hidden (from)," which in turn comes from krýptein, "to conceal, hide." Both words entered English in the 16th century with their nonbiblical meanings, apocrypha referring to writings or statements of dubious authenticity, and apocryphal describing such things. Apocryphal is now the more common word. It most often describes an oft-repeated tale that is almost certainly not true.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2024 is: paradigm \PAIR-uh-dyme\ noun
Paradigm is a formal word that refers to a pattern or example, and especially to an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype. It can also refer to a theory or group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about.

// Her latest book provides us with a new paradigm for modern biography.

// Several speakers at the conference focused their presentations on challenging what has been a dominant educational paradigm.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradigm)


Examples:

“In a music paradigm that’s increasingly focused on individual tracks, artists still have a chance to make a bigger statement about the world, and themselves, through larger collections that can explore a variety of styles and emotions.” — Tom Roland, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2024

Did you know?

Paradigm comes from the Greek verb paradeiknynai, meaning “to show side by side.” It has been used in English to mean “example” or “pattern” since the 15th century. There is debate, however, about what kind of example qualifies as a paradigm. Some people say it’s a typical example, while others insist it must be an outstanding or perfect example. The scientific community has added to the confusion by using paradigm to mean “a theoretical framework,” a sense popularized by American scientist [Thomas S. Kuhn](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-S-Kuhn) in the second edition of his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1970. Some usage commentators now advise avoiding the term entirely on the grounds that it is overused, but we contend that it can [sometimes make a useful, conversation-enriching replacement](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/top-10-simple-but-intelligent-words-vol-2) for idea, theory, or concept, as in “[an article about sandwiches](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/to-chew-on-10-kinds-of-sandwiches) that shifts the paradigm by including hot dogs.”