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

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.

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.