What does "merit" mean?
A claim to commendation or a reward.
Merit
/ˈmɛɹɪt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A claim to commendation or a reward.
- Grammar: merit is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: virtue, accent, account, advantage.
- Useful contrasts: minor blemish, obvious flaw, abominations.
- Usage evidence: At the meeting I pointed out the plan's merit.
How to use "merit"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "merit" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "merit" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "merit" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "merit" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "merit" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "virtue" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "merit", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A claim to commendation or a reward. countable
"[R]eputation is an idle and moſt falſe impoſition , oft got without merit and loſt without deſeruing."
- 2 the quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance) wordnet
- 3 A mark or token of approbation or to recognize excellence. countable
"For her good performance in the examination, her teacher gave her ten merits."
- 4 any admirable quality or attribute wordnet
- 5 Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward. countable, uncountable
"His reward for his merit was a check for $50."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 The sum of all the good deeds that a person does which determines the quality of the person's next state of existence and contributes to the person's growth towards enlightenment. Jainism, uncountable
"to acquire or make merit"
- 7 Usually in the plural form the merits: the substantive rightness or wrongness of a legal argument, a lawsuit, etc., as opposed to technical matters such as the admissibility of evidence or points of legal procedure; (by extension) the overall good or bad quality, or rightness or wrongness, of some other thing. uncountable
"Even though the plaintiff was ordered by the judge to pay some costs for not having followed the correct procedure, she won the case on the merits."
- 8 The quality or state of deserving retribution, whether reward or punishment. countable, obsolete
"Be it known, that we the greateſt are mis-thoght / For things that others do : and when we fall, / We anſwer others merits, in our name / Are therefore to be pittied."
Verb
- 1 To deserve, to earn. transitive
"Her performance merited wild applause."
- 2 be worthy or deserving wordnet
- 3 To be deserving or worthy. intransitive
"They were punished as they merited."
- 4 To reward. obsolete, rare, transitive
"Thus charg’d thy sire, which thou forgett’st: yet now those thoughts appease / That torture thy great spirit with wrath; which if thou wilt give surcease, / The king will merit it with gifts ; and if thou wilt give ear / I’ll tell you how much he offers thee:—yet thou sitt’st angry here."
Antonyms
Example
"At the meeting I pointed out the plan's merit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "merit"?
Common synonyms include: virtue, accent, account, advantage, advantageousness, advantages.
How do you use "merit" in a sentence?
At the meeting I pointed out the plan's merit.
How do you pronounce "merit"?
Pronounced /ˈmɛɹɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English merit, merite (“quality of person’s character or conduct deserving of reward or punishment; such reward or punishment; excellence, worthiness; benefit; right to be rewarded for spiritual service; retribution at doomsday; virtue through which Jesus Christ brings about salvation; virtue possessed by a holy person; power of a pagan deity”), from Anglo-Norman merit, merite, Old French merite (“moral worth, reward; merit”) (modern French mérite), from Latin meritum (“that which one deserves, deserts; benefit, reward, merit; service; kindness; importance, value, worth; blame, demerit, fault; grounds, reason”), neuter of meritus (“deserved, earned, obtained; due, proper, right; deserving, meritorious”), perfect passive participle of mereō (“to deserve, earn, obtain, merit; to earn a living”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to allot, assign”). The English word is probably cognate with Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “component, part; portion, share; destiny, fate, lot”) and cognate with Old Occitan merit.
Etymology 2
From Middle English meriten, from Middle French meriter, Old French meriter (“to deserve, merit”) (modern French mériter), from merite: see further in Etymology 1. The word is cognate with Italian meritare (“to deserve, merit; to be worth; to earn”), Latin meritāre (“to earn regularly; to serve as a soldier”), Spanish meritar (“to deserve, merit; to earn”).