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

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2024 is: remuneration \rih-myoo-nuh-RAY-shun\ noun
Remuneration is a formal word that refers to an amount of money paid to someone for a service, loss, or expense, or to the act of paying such an amount. It is synonymous with [recompense](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recompense) and [pay](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay).

// The actor was offered a modest speaking fee by the host as remuneration for giving her speech at the awards ceremony.

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

Examples:

"Workers are paid per task, with remuneration ranging from a cent to a few dollars—although the upper end is considered something of a rare gem, workers say." — Niamh Rowe, Wired, 15 Nov. 2023

Did you know?

Our evidence shows remuneration to be most at home in writing that concerns financial matters, especially when large amounts of money or forms of compensation are involved. Whether it's because money is often expressed in numerals, or simply because the n and m are adjacent to each other on our keyboards, reMUNeration often appears misspelled as reNUMeration. It pays to know, however, that in fact, renumeration is a distinct term, a rare word meaning "the act of [enumerating](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enumerate) again" (enumerate means "to list" or "to count").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2024 is: clandestine \klan-DESS-tun\ adjective
Clandestine describes something done secretly, or in a private place or way.

// The wedding was a clandestine affair in Las Vegas.

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


Examples:

"On the surface, it uses the traditional tropes of the spy movie—a secret intelligence network, cryptic codenames, clandestine meetings in public places—but Ghost Trail isn’t exactly thrilling, certainly not in the manner of a John le Carré novel." — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2024

Did you know?

[Psst!](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psst)—if your first instinct, upon being asked what you’ve been up to, is to [clam up](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clam-up), your querier may suspect you’ve been involved in some clandestine activities. Clandestine often substitutes for [secret](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secret) and [covert](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covert), and it is commonly applied to actions that involve secrecy maintained for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose, as in "clandestine activities pursued under cover of night." It comes to English by way of Middle French, from the Latin word clandestinus, which is itself from the Latin adverb clam, meaning "secretly." Note that this clam is not the ancestor of the English word [clam](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clam), despite how tightly sealed and thus secretive the [bivalves](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bivalve) may seem.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2024 is: polemic \puh-LEM-ik\ noun
A polemic is a strong written or spoken attack against someone else’s opinions, beliefs, practices, etc.

// Her book is a fierce polemic against societal inequalities.

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


Examples:

“That winter of 1774-1775 could be considered the nadir of the entire American patriot movement. After the closing of the First Continental Congress, North Americans ‘turned upon one another as never before.’ The colonists had never had a single view of Britain or how to respond to the measures it was trying to impose on the American colonies. … Strong polemics against further resistance to the British government spouted from printing presses across the colonies.” — Nathan Perl-Rosenthal, The Age of Revolutions, 2024

Did you know?

[Diatribe](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diatribe), [jeremiad](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jeremiad), [philippic](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philippic) … the English language sure has a lot of formal words for the things we say or write when we are—to use a decidedly less formal term—big mad. We will refrain from going on a [tirade](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tirade) about it, however, especially since it’s good to have options with subtle differences in tone and meaning. Polemic, which traces back ultimately to the Greek word for war, polemos, is the word you want to refer specifically to an aggressive attack on someone’s ideas or principles. Someone who is [cheesed off](https://bit.ly/3Qhy2jf) because they don’t like cheese, for example, wouldn’t write a polemic about it. A [turophile](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turophile) upset about the [gustatory](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gustatory) philosophy behind their local [cheesemonger’s](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheesemonger) recent offerings just might.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2024 is: supersede \soo-per-SEED\ verb
Supersede is a verb meaning "to take the place of (someone or something that is considered old, inferior, or no longer useful)." It is used synonymously with [replace](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/replace) and [displace](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/displace).

// This edition of the manual supersedes the previous one.

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

Examples:

"The passive-aggressive signals to wind our gatherings down were replaced by point-blank requests to make less noise, have less fun, do our living somewhere else, even though these rooms belonged to us, too. … In those moments, I felt hot with shame and anger, yet unable to articulate why. It took me years to understand that, in demanding my friends and I quiet down, these students were implying that their comfort superseded our joy." — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2022

Did you know?

Language is constantly evolving, with old spellings and meanings superseded by new ones over time. Naturally, supersede itself has its share of predecessors. Supersede ultimately comes from the Latin verb supersedēre, meaning "to sit on top of" (sedēre means "to sit"), "to be [superior](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superior) to," or "to [refrain](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refrain) from," but it came to English through Scots Middle English, where it was rendered superceden and used synonymously with [defer](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer). Modern English speakers are often confused about how to spell supersede—it sometimes turns up as [supercede](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supercede). In fact, some of the earliest records of the word in English show it spelled with a c. Though both spellings can be etymologically justified, over time supersede won out as the "correct" version.

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.