Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

merit

Syllabification: (mer·it)
Pronunciation: /ˈmerit/

Translate merit | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of merit

noun

  • the quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially so as to deserve praise or reward:composers of outstanding merit
  • a feature or fact that deserves praise or reward:the relative merits of both approaches have to be considered
  • British a pass grade in an examination denoting above-average performance:if you expect to pass, why not go for a merit or a distinction?Compare with distinction.
  • (merits) chiefly Law the intrinsic rights and wrongs of a case, outside of any other considerations:a plaintiff who has a good arguable case on the merits
  • (merits) Theology good deeds regarded as entitling someone to a future reward from God.

verb (merits, meriting, merited)

[with object]
  • deserve or be worthy of (something, especially reward, punishment, or attention):the results have been encouraging enough to merit further investigation

Phrases

judge (or consider) something on its merits

assess something solely with regard to its intrinsic quality rather than other external factors.

Origin:

Middle English (originally in the sense 'deserved reward or punishment'): via Old French from Latin meritum 'due reward', from mereri 'earn, deserve'

Spelling rule

Do not double the final consonant when adding endings that begin with a vowel to a word that ends in a vowel plus a consonant if the stress is not at the end of the word (as in target): (merits, meriting, merited).

merit in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of merit in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

Word of the day

merrythought

/ /
noun
the wishbone of a bird …