merit

American  

[mer-it] / ˈmɛr ɪt /

noun

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)

1. to be worthy of; deserve.

verb (used without object)

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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Related Words

See desert ³.

Other Word Forms

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

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”

Example Sentences

Rightmove said the claim was "without merit, and we will defend it vigorously", adding it is "confident in the value we provide to our partners and consumers."

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

“As we have maintained, this lawsuit was entirely without merit, and we are pleased with the court’s ruling on the matter,” a Fox News representative said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The court of appeals said that Preska incorrectly interpreted Argentine law and that the shareholders’ claims are without merit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

That awarding of merit aid, according to Burd, has come at the expense of the lowest-income students.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

I started the previous section of this chapter by presenting two alternative views of science, and I have argued that both have merit.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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