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

• dereliction
• failing
• fault
• foible
• frailty
• shortcoming
• sin
• vice
• want
• weakness

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

There’s still a chance to turn this around on the demerits of this particular bill. —Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2025

My grade is an A-minus, the lone demerit from failing to reach a Super Bowl. —Tim Graham, New York Times, 2 May 2025

The Stockyards Hotel located at 109 East Exchange Ave. had 35 demerits and scored 13 on a follow-up inspection, according to the report. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2025

Food establishments receiving more than 30 demerits have 48 hours to fix the worst problems and then clean up the rest. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 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