merit

mer·it

Use merit in a sentence

noun

The definition of merit is an excellent achievement, honor, value or quality that is deserving of approval.

An example of merit is someone receiving an award for their charity work.

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"merit." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Merit>.

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merit. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Merit

merit

[sometimes pl.] the state, fact, or quality of deserving well or, sometimes, ill; desert
worth; value; excellence
something deserving reward, praise, or gratitude
a reward or honor given for superior qualities or conduct; mark, badge, etc. awarded for excellence
[pl.] intrinsic rightness or wrongness apart from formalities, emotional considerations, etc.: to decide a case on its merits

Origin of merit

Old French merite from Classical Latin meritum from meritus, past participle of merere, to deserve, earn, akin to mereri, to serve for hire from Indo-European base an unverified form (s)mer-, to remember, care (hence provide for, allot a share to) from source mourn, Classical Latin memor, mora, Classical Greek meros, a part, moira, lot, fate

to deserve; be worthy of

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MLA Style

"merit." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Merit>.

APA Style

merit. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Merit

merit

noun

a. Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit.
b. A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late.
Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone.
often merits An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval: judging people according to their merits.
In various religions, spiritual credit granted for good works.
merits
a. Law The factors to be considered in making a substantive decision in a case, independent of procedural or technical aspects: a trial on the merits.
b. The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.

verb

mer·it·ed, mer·it·ing, mer·its

verb

transitive

To earn; deserve. See Synonyms at earn.

verb

intransitive

To be worthy or deserving: Pupils are rewarded or corrected, as they merit.

Origin of merit

Middle English from Old French merite reward or punishment from Latin meritum from neuter past participle of merēre to deserve ; see (s)mer-² in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

mer′it·less
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"merit." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Merit>.

APA Style

merit. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Merit

Noun

(plural merits)

Something deserving positive recognition.
His reward for his merit was a check for $50.
Something worthy of a high rating.
A claim to commendation or reward.
The quality of deserving reward.
Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation.
His teacher gave him ten merits.

Antonyms

demerit

Verb

(third-person singular simple present merits, present participle meriting, simple past and past participle merited)

To earn or to deserve.
Her performance merited its wild applause.
(intransitive) To be worthy or deserving.

Anagrams

miter, mitre, remit, timer

Origin

From Middle English merite, from Old French merite, from Latin meritum (“that which one deserves, just deserts; service, kindness, benefit, fault, blame, demerit, grounds, reason, worth, value, importance"), neuter of meritus, past participle of mereÅ (“I deserve, earn, gain, get, acquire"), akin to Ancient Greek Î¼ÎÏÎ¿Ï‚ (meros, “a part, lot, fate, destiny").

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.