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View synonyms for merit

merit

[ mer-it ]

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.


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

/ 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
“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


verb

  1. tr to be worthy of; deserve

    he merits promotion

“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈmeritless, adjective
  • ˈmerited, adjective
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Other Words From

  • merit·ed·ly adverb
  • merit·less adjective
  • half-merit·ed adjective
  • over·merit verb
  • pre·merit verb (used with object)
  • self-merit noun
  • un·merit·ed adjective
  • un·merit·ed·ly adverb
  • well-merit·ed adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of merit1

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”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of merit1

C13: via Old French from Latin meritum reward, desert, from merēre to deserve
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Idioms and Phrases

see on its merits .
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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

The mayor and her team made an offer to our members late last night, which merits further review.

Their argument is usually written off as hypocrisy or bitterness, its merits rarely given the attention it deserves.

From Time

So when you’re reading this, you can breathe a little easier since there are ways to get merit aid.

From Time

It’s a lot easier to have an opinion on cancel culture than it is to have an opinion on the merits of a coronavirus relief package.

There’s merit to that perspective, and it’s clear how a rational person might arrive at that conclusion.

Decorative value is largely incidental to artistic merit as defined by critics.

In the view of some cops, perps merit little concern or sympathy.

This is likely a lowball number but it has the merit to illustrate the tradeoff that raising the minimum wage requires.

In Europe, he explained, the circus is considered a high form of art, known for its merit of talents and skilled performers.

And our gripes about the lack of light in our lives are not without merit — humans truly are solar powered.

We resolved to do our best to merit the good opinion which we thus supposed them to entertain of us.

Mr. Agnew saw the picture, recognised its merit, and wrote a cheque for the full amount asked.

Nor are these defects compensated by any high degree of merit in the delineation of the characters.

A certain cabinet minister being asked why he did not promote merit?

He is thought to be little inferior to Racine in the merit of his dramatic compositions.

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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.

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