merit
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.
to be worthy of; deserve.
Chiefly Theology. to acquire merit.
based on merit: a merit raise of $25 a week.
Origin of merit
1synonym study For merit
word story For merit
The earliest English sense of the noun is religious and theological, “the quality of (a person or action) being entitled to a reward from God,” which will be familiar to anyone who attended parochial school. The legal term merits, i.e., “the intrinsic rights or wrongs of a case or matter, without consideration of procedural details, personal feelings, etc.,” dates from the end of the 15th century. The British Order of Merit, an award given to civilians and members of the armed forces, first appears in English in 1799, and is modeled on the Pour le Mérite established by King Frederick II (“Frederick the Great”) of Prussia in 1740.
Other words for merit
Other words from merit
- 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-merit, noun
- un·mer·it·ed, adjective
- un·mer·it·ed·ly, adverb
- well-mer·it·ed, adjective
Words Nearby merit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use merit in a sentence
The mayor and her team made an offer to our members late last night, which merits further review.
Lawsuits, lockouts and strike threats: Fights to reopen classrooms reach a head in several school districts | Moriah Balingit | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostTheir argument is usually written off as hypocrisy or bitterness, its merits rarely given the attention it deserves.
Why Larry Summers Still Triggers Washington. (It Isn’t His Economics.) | Philip Elliott | February 8, 2021 | TimeSo when you’re reading this, you can breathe a little easier since there are ways to get merit aid.
Paying for College Can Be Overwhelming. Here's What You Need to Know to Find an Affordable Option | Sean Gregory | February 5, 2021 | TimeIt’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.
The Republican Party divide is not about politics. It’s about culture. | Philip Bump | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostThere’s merit to that perspective, and it’s clear how a rational person might arrive at that conclusion.
The GameStop stock situation isn’t about populism. It’s about whether the market is ‘real.’ | Mikhail Klimentov | February 1, 2021 | Washington Post
Decorative value is largely incidental to artistic merit as defined by critics.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art | Jay Michaelson | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn the view of some cops, perps merit little concern or sympathy.
‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture | Michael Daly | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis 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.
Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder With This New Tracker | DailyBurn | November 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe 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?
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousHe is thought to be little inferior to Racine in the merit of his dramatic compositions.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
British Dictionary definitions for merit
/ (ˈmɛrɪt) /
worth or superior quality; excellence: work of great merit
(often plural) a deserving or commendable quality or act: judge 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
(tr) to be worthy of; deserve: he merits promotion
Origin of merit
1- See also merits
Derived forms of merit
- merited, adjective
- meritless, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with merit
see on its merits.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse