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Synonyms

meritorious

American  
[mer-i-tawr-ee-uhs, -tohr-] / ˌmɛr ɪˈtɔr i əs, -ˈtoʊr- /

adjective

  1. deserving praise, reward, esteem, etc.; praiseworthy.

    to receive a gift for meritorious service.


meritorious British  
/ ˌmɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəs /

adjective

  1. praiseworthy; showing merit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • meritoriously adverb
  • meritoriousness noun
  • unmeritorious adjective
  • unmeritoriously adverb
  • unmeritoriousness noun

Etymology

Origin of meritorious

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin meritōrius “earning money, for hire, on hire,” from meritus, past participle of merēre, merērī “to receive one's share, be entitled to, deserve, merit.” See merit, -ory 1, -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The firm has previously said it works “hard to present only meritorious claims and have systems in place to help weed out false or exaggerated allegations.”

From Los Angeles Times

Presidential Medals of Freedom are awarded to people who have made "exceptionally meritorious contributions to the nation's prosperity, values, or security, world peace, or other significant public or private endeavours".

From BBC

The firm’s services will be dedicated to helping veterans, Gold Star families, law enforcement offices and first responders — all unarguably meritorious individuals deserving of support.

From Los Angeles Times

“It all comes down to whether Combs has a meritorious defense,” said Olivarius.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's beautiful to know the same peptide can achieve so many meritorious health effects, that in combination have the potential to help both human and animal patients," said Unniappan.

From Science Daily