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

• 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

Fort Worth uses a demerit system, with zero being a perfect score. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2025

India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant received a demerit point from the ICC after the first Test at Headingley for throwing the ball on the floor in frustration after umpire Paul Reiffel had inspected it and turned down his request for a replacement. —James Wallace, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025

Extra demerits for making such statements at a music festival. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025

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