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”

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."

Example Sentences

The craft is part of what gives cinema its merit.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

At the time, both SGS and Bureau Veritas said they saw merit in the consolidation of the testing, inspection and certification sector, but that their talks didn’t result in an agreement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

An immigrant from Colombia, he works as a civil engineer specializing in bridge construction, and was deemed to “perform services of exceptional merit and ability” by the federal government.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

The NHL had expanded to California four seasons earlier, yet even taken together the Kings and California Seals weren’t drawing enough fans to merit the word “crowd.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

They shall be pledges of your conduct, to be returned later, if you merit them.’

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

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