Merits

//ˈmɛɹ.ɪts// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    plural of merit form-of, plural
  2. 2
    Intrinsic advantages, as opposed to political or procedural advantages.

    "I was the boss's pet project, but was rejected on the merits."

  3. 3
    Substance, distinguished from form or procedure.

    "The merits of the case favored the plaintiffs, but their procedural blunders set them back."

Verb
  1. 1
    third-person singular simple present indicative of merit form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person

Synonyms

All synonyms
comeuppancedesertsduesmeritutility

Example

More examples

"There are merits and demerits to both your opinions so I'm not going to decide right away which to support."

Related phrases

on its merits

More for "merits"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.