demerit

noun

de·​mer·​it di-ˈmer-ət 

dē-, 

-ˈme-rət

1

obsolete : offense

2

a

: a quality that deserves blame or lacks merit : fault, defect

b

: lack of merit

3

: a mark usually entailing a loss of privilege given to an offender

Synonyms of demerit

• weakness
• fault
• sin
• shortcoming
• failing
• deficiency

Examples of demerit in a Sentence

Students are given demerits if they arrive late for classes.

my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy

Recent Examples on the Web

Tarrant County’s health inspections function on a demerit system where a score of 100 is considered perfect and a score of 70 is considered extremely poor. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2026

Lord’s had not previously accumulated any demerit points; the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have 14 days to appeal against the ICC’s sanction. —Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 June 2026

The biggest demerit on season 27 would be the White Locust twist. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026

After a long ride to Maryland in a honey vat, Garth is able to sneak Daisy back inside the school with only a demerit for smoking. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French demerite, from Medieval Latin demeritum, from neuter of demeritus, past participle of demerēre to be undeserving of, from Latin, to earn, from de- + merēre to merit

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for demerit

• inherit
• preterit
• buret
• carat
• ferret
• garret
• karat
• merit
• parrot
• disinherit

Kids Definition

demerit

noun

de·​mer·​it di-ˈmer-ət 

1

: a quality that deserves blame : fault

2

: a mark placed against a person's record for some fault or offense