Since the institution of bestowal of the medals for merit has been abolished and bestowal of the decoration is called 'the bestowal of the medals for merit' instead, 'the bestowal of the medals for merit' has increasingly come to mean the bestowal of the decoration.
今日、勲等に叙す慣例がなくなり勲章の授与を叙勲と称することになったことで、叙勲は勲章を授与すること自体を指す意味が強くなった。