merit

American  

[mer-it] / ˈmɛr ɪt /

noun

• merits
  plural

1. claim to respect and praise; excellence; worth.

   Synonyms:

   esteem, value

2. something that deserves or justifies a reward or commendation; a commendable quality, act, etc..

   The book's only merit is its sincerity.

3. merits, the inherent rights and wrongs of a matter, as a lawsuit, unobscured by procedural details, technicalities, personal feelings, etc..

   The case will be decided on its merits alone.

4. Often merits. the state or fact of deserving; desert.

   to treat people according to their merits.

5. Roman Catholic Church. worthiness of spiritual reward, acquired by righteous acts made under the influence of grace.

6. Obsolete. something that is deserved, whether good or bad.

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verb (used with object)

• merits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• merited,
  past participle,  past
• meriting
  present participle

1. to be worthy of; deserve.

verb (used without object)

• merits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• merited,
  past participle,  past
• meriting
  present participle

1. Chiefly Theology. to acquire merit.

adjective

1. based on merit.

   a merit raise of $25 a week.

merit British  

/ ˈmɛrɪt /

noun

1. worth or superior quality; excellence

   work of great merit

2. (often plural) a deserving or commendable quality or act

   judge him on his merits

3. Christianity spiritual credit granted or received for good works

4. the fact or state of deserving; desert

5. an obsolete word for reward

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verb

1. (tr) to be worthy of; deserve

   he merits promotion

merit Idioms  

1. see on its merits.

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Synonym Usage

See desert ³.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-merit
  noun
• overmerit
  verb
• premerit
  verb (used with object)
• half-merited
  adjective
• merited
  adjective
• meritless
  adjective
• unmerited
  adjective
• well-merited
  adjective
• meritedly
  adverb
• unmeritedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• merits
  plural

Participles

• meriting
  present
• merited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• merit
  simple
• merits
  simple
• have merited
  perfect
• has merited
  perfect
• am meriting
  progressive
• are meriting
  progressive
• is meriting
  progressive
• have been meriting
  perfect progressive
• has been meriting
  perfect progressive

Past

• merited
  simple
• had merited
  perfect
• was meriting
  progressive
• were meriting
  progressive
• had been meriting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will merit
  simple
• will have merited
  perfect
• will be meriting
  progressive
• will have been meriting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of merit

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Latin meritum “act worthy of praise (or blame),” noun use of neuter of meritus, past participle of merēre “to earn”

Explanation

Merit means "worthiness or excellence." If you receive a certificate of merit in school, you are being recognized for doing a good job. As a verb, merit means "deserve." Your certificate might merit a prominent place on your bulletin board! You will often hear the phrases "merit-based promotion" and "merit-based pay," which come up when employees are pushing against a system in which time on the job — and not job performance — determines when workers are promoted and how much they are paid. Using the word merit suggests impartiality and objectivity — such as when you swear off a prejudiced approach to something and vow to "judge it on its merits."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merit merits merited meriting

If the performance evaluation is conducted honestly and based on merit, she said, the commission has nothing to fear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

“Waymo reviews all received citations and may engage with the court to address and resolve them, including contesting cases on their merit if we believe they were issued erroneously,” a company spokesman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Price also averaged 104.97 in the final and has enjoyed a successful week, climbing to fourth in the order of merit and reclaiming the Welsh number one spot from Jonny Clayton.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

“From a technical perspective, both arguments have merit, which in our view makes the next few weeks of price action critical.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

That in itself was of interest to Tree-ear; an ordinary commission—for a set of household bowls, say—would not merit such caution.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Ms. Williamson filed a complaint with the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, alleging the union had violated its duty of fair representation, but the board dismissed it without considering the merits of her claims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

In response, a Lilly spokesperson said: “Rather than compete on the merits of its products, Novo is asking a court to stop Lilly from communicating the results of that trial.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Any future asylum claims would be considered on their individual merits, with applications against the facts of the case and available evidence.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

But federal support was provided on the firm principle that distribution was to be determined by disinterested experts qualified to evaluate the merits of scientific and technological proposals.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

Still she had her merits; and I was disposed to appreciate all that was good in her to the utmost.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

The referee used the video assistant referee to review the play and determined it merited a red card.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Those governors thought a weakening labor market merited a cut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Nuria's mother, Smera Chohan, said she was emotional and angry and wanted to know why such a terrible incident had not merited a "competent and thorough investigation".

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

“They never would have merited a full-scale federal investigation,” he said.

From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2026

Then, with a merited sense of victory, Johnson picked up Mr. Clutter’s check and deposited it in his billfold.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Mental-health professionals are recognizing chatbot delusions and psychosis as a phenomenon meriting further study.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

In the brand-conscious ‘80s, the right item of designer clothing could make or break a kid’s popularity, meriting a Gartrell name drop in “A Shirt Story,” a Hall of Fame-level episode of “The Cosby Show.”

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2025

The Chicago Fed president acknowledged a reversal in rental and other housing inflation after months of easing was a "negative surprise" meriting a "proper element of caution", according to the report.

From Reuters ● Oct. 16, 2023

“They are accurate enough at this point to start meriting some consideration,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

In this last point of view, the sentiment was as respectable, and as much entitled to reverence, as in the other case it would have been unworthy, and meriting contempt.

From The Chainbearer Or, The Littlepage Manuscripts by Cooper, James Fenimore

Related Words

• benefit
• dignity
• excellence
• integrity
• quality
• stature
• talent
• value
• virtue
• worthiness