demerit

American  

[dih-mer-it] / dɪˈmɛr ɪt /

noun

1. a mark against a person for misconduct or deficiency.

   If you receive four demerits during a term, you will be expelled from school.

2. the quality of being censurable or punishable; fault; culpability.

3. Obsolete. merit or desert.

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demerit British  

/ diːˈmɛrɪt, ˈdiːˌmɛrɪt /

noun

1. something, esp conduct, that deserves censure

2. a mark given against a person for failure or misconduct, esp in schools or the armed forces

3. a fault or disadvantage

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Other Word Forms

• demeritorious adjective
• demeritoriously adverb

Etymology

Origin of demerit

1350–1400; Middle English (< Old French desmerite ) < Medieval Latin dēmeritum fault, noun use of neuter past participle of Latin dēmerēre to earn, win the favor of ( dē- taken in ML as privative, hence pejorative). See de-, merit

Example Sentences

The decision means the Melbourne Cricket Ground receives one demerit point.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

International Cricket Council referee Jeff Crowe is yet to deliver his assessment of the pitch, pondering whether to give it an "unsatisfactory" rating which would see the venue slapped with a demerit point.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

The movie’s one major demerit is a lack of screen time for Cheadle, whose character is a welcome presence in the book.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2022

Within the company, the weak yen was not necessarily viewed as a benefit, the spokesperson said, adding the higher cost of raw materials was one demerit.

From Reuters • Apr. 12, 2022

I've been wanting to use "bloody" without earning a demerit, but now the punch of it is gone.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins