merit

[mer-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR merit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

claim to respect and praise; excellence; worth.

something that deserves or justifies a reward or commendation; a commendable quality, act, etc.: The book's only merit is its sincerity.

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.

Often merits. the state or fact of deserving; desert: to treat people according to their merits.

Roman Catholic Church. worthiness of spiritual reward, acquired by righteous acts made under the influence of grace.

Obsolete. something that is deserved, whether good or bad.

verb (used with object)

to be worthy of; deserve.

verb (used without object)

Chiefly Theology. to acquire merit.

adjective

based on merit: a merit raise of $25 a week.

Origin of merit

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin meritum act worthy of praise (or blame), noun use of neuter of meritus, past participle of merēre to earn

Related formsmer·it·ed·ly, adverbmer·it·less, adjectivehalf-mer·it·ed, adjectiveo·ver·mer·it, verbpre·mer·it, verb (used with object)self-mer·it, nounun·mer·it·ed, adjectiveun·mer·it·ed·ly, adverbwell-mer·it·ed, adjective

Synonyms for merit

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR merit ON THESAURUS.COM

1. value, credit.

Synonym study

1. See desert³.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for merits

dignity, talent, integrity, value, benefit, excellence, virtue, stature, quality, worthiness, deserve, warrant, justify, arete, caliber, desert, worth, credit, good, asset

Examples from the Web for merits

Contemporary Examples of merits

So, the arrival of a foreign journalist in Belgika merits a town meeting.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway
Nina Strochlic
December 18, 2014
The government has blocked every opportunity to challenge this case on its merits.
Special Forces’ $77M ‘Hustler’ Hits Back
Kevin Maurer
December 8, 2014
He criticized rather than praised the merits of powerful government, but he did so with unequivocal certainty.
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014
U.S. schools will receive funding and “customers” regardless of their merits (or lack thereof).
How a GOP Senate Can Help the Poor
Veronique de Rugy
November 23, 2014
I could bring concepts to her and have them considered on their merits.
The Valerie Jarrett I Know: How She Saved the Obama Campaign and Why She’s Indispensable
Joshua DuBois
November 18, 2014

Historical Examples of merits

She had already forgotten the entire matter, and was deep in the merits of collars!
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
Were they his rivals, he found the perfect word for their merits and shortcomings.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
Again the elder blew a reflective cloud over the merits of the question.
Quaint Courtships
Various
No other man, let his merits be what they may, could have these advantages in my opinion.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
He watched her anxiously, quick to approve her merits as she displayed them.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for merits

merits

pl n

the actual and intrinsic rights and wrongs of an issue, esp in a law case, as distinct from extraneous matters and technicalities

on its merits on the intrinsic qualities or virtues

merit

noun

worth or superior quality; excellencework of great merit

(often plural) a deserving or commendable quality or actjudge him on his merits

Christianity spiritual credit granted or received for good works

the fact or state of deserving; desert

an obsolete word for reward

verb -its, -iting or -ited

(tr) to be worthy of; deservehe merits promotion

Word Origin for merit

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

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

Word Origin and History for merits

merit

c.1200, "spiritual credit" (for good works, etc.); c.1300, "spiritual reward," from Old French merite "wages, pay, reward; thanks; merit, moral worth, that which assures divine pity," and directly from Latin meritum "a merit, service, kindness, benefit, favor; worth, value, importance," neuter of meritus, past participle of merere, meriri "to earn, deserve, acquire, gain," from PIE root *(s)mer- "to allot, assign" (cf. Greek meros "part, lot," moira "share, fate," moros "fate, destiny, doom," Hittite mark "to divide" a sacrifice).

Sense of "worthiness, excellence" is from early 14c.; from late 14c. as "condition or conduct that deserves either reward or punishment;" also "a reward, benefit." Related: Merits. Merit system attested from 1880. Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder."

merit

late 15c., "to be entitled to," from Middle French meriter (Modern French mériter), from merite (n.), or directly from Latin meritare "to earn, yield," frequentative of mereri "to earn (money);" also "to serve as a soldier" (see merit (n.)). Related: Merited; meriting.

Idioms and Phrases with merits

merit

see on its merits.