meritorious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Explanation
Anything that's deserving of praise or a reward could be described as meritorious. Meritorious things deserve a lot of merit, usually because they were very brave or noble in some way. If you saved a person from drowning, that's meritorious. Firefighters and doctors have meritorious careers because they're dedicated to helping people. Giving money to charity is meritorious. When something is meritorious, it deserves praise and thanks.
Vocabulary lists containing meritorious
Just Mercy
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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"The Blessings of Liberty and Education" by Frederick Douglass
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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.
For the record, Sherman has served our country for decades, earning along the way the prestigious Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal among other accolades.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2025
Gen. Kanamine’s honors included the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal and two awards of the Meritorious Service Medal.
From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2023
His 1650 book, The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption, was denounced as heretical and became the first book banned in the New World.
From Slate • Oct. 31, 2022
In the process he earned a Bronze Star and a Meritorious Service Medal serving in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq — where he fought in the Second Battle of Fallujah.
From Washington Times • Jul. 7, 2022
"Meritorious" has been kept in our translations, for in a restricted field of traditional theology it does mean that virtue, for example, earns a reward.
From Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence by Wunsch, William F.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
