merit
Americannoun
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merits
plural
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claim to respect and praise; excellence; worth.
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something that deserves or justifies a reward or commendation; a commendable quality, act, etc..
The book's only merit is its sincerity.
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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.
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Often merits. the state or fact of deserving; desert.
to treat people according to their merits.
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Roman Catholic Church. worthiness of spiritual reward, acquired by righteous acts made under the influence of grace.
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Obsolete. something that is deserved, whether good or bad.
verb (used with object)
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merits,
present (3rd person singular)
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merited,
past participle, past
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meriting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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merits,
present (3rd person singular)
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merited,
past participle, past
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meriting
present participle
adjective
noun
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worth or superior quality; excellence
work of great merit
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(often plural) a deserving or commendable quality or act
judge him on his merits
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Christianity spiritual credit granted or received for good works
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the fact or state of deserving; desert
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an obsolete word for reward
verb
Synonym Usage
See desert 3.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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self-meritnoun
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overmeritverb
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premeritverb (used with object)
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half-meritedadjective
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meritedadjective
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meritlessadjective
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unmeritedadjective
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well-meritedadjective
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meritedlyadverb
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unmeritedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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meritsimple
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meritssimple
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have meritedperfect
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has meritedperfect
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am meritingprogressive
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are meritingprogressive
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is meritingprogressive
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have been meritingperfect progressive
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has been meritingperfect progressive
Past
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meritedsimple
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had meritedperfect
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was meritingprogressive
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were meritingprogressive
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had been meritingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
Merit means "worthiness or excellence." If you receive a certificate of merit in school, you are being recognized for doing a good job. As a verb, merit means "deserve." Your certificate might merit a prominent place on your bulletin board! You will often hear the phrases "merit-based promotion" and "merit-based pay," which come up when employees are pushing against a system in which time on the job — and not job performance — determines when workers are promoted and how much they are paid. Using the word merit suggests impartiality and objectivity — such as when you swear off a prejudiced approach to something and vow to "judge it on its merits."
Vocabulary lists containing merit
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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.
See Examples For:
“We remain confident that plaintiffs’ case is without merit and will defend our pro-competitive transaction in court,” Paramount said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Nick Basher, 19, beamed as he discovered he'd earned a merit in his T-level in digital production design and development.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
If the performance evaluation is conducted honestly and based on merit, she said, the commission has nothing to fear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
“We consider these claims to be completely without merit and will be defending the proceedings vigorously,” a Brookfield spokesperson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The people, I said, wanted democracy, and political leadership based on merit not birth.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
It is impossible to assess the merits of the actual transfers until the individuals concerned have played often enough to evaluate how well they have done.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
I’m all for rallying around a book or author and debating their merits like it’s a sporting match.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Judges need reliable scientific information about climate change so that they can evaluate those cases on their merits," she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In response, a Lilly spokesperson said: “Rather than compete on the merits of its products, Novo is asking a court to stop Lilly from communicating the results of that trial.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“You know, Minerva,” Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, “I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?”
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
The referee used the video assistant referee to review the play and determined it merited a red card.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Investor demand and limited stock supply means options implied volatility will likely be higher than merited.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
This latter group included people with the good sense and courage to express disagreement with the president and urge caution when it was merited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Dujon Sterling's deflected volley had Rangers in front and their overall performance merited such a lead.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
She confused being sick with being brave, and suffered agonies while imagining she merited praise for it.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
The book’s characters relate their stories in discrete sections that peel back time, revealing shocking secrets and meriting re-evaluation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
In the brand-conscious ‘80s, the right item of designer clothing could make or break a kid’s popularity, meriting a Gartrell name drop in “A Shirt Story,” a Hall of Fame-level episode of “The Cosby Show.”
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2025
“They are accurate enough at this point to start meriting some consideration,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
One of the most entertaining teams in the Premier League and fully meriting a place in the Europa League for the first time in Brighton's history.
From BBC ● May 29, 2023
The expectation of reproach made her hesitate whether to obey this order; but a desire not to have the air of meriting it, by the defiance of a refusal, led her again to the dressing-room.
From The Wanderer (Volume 3 of 5) or, Female Difficulties by Fanny Burney
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.
