meritorious

adjective

mer·​i·​to·​ri·​ous ˌmer-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əs How to pronounce meritorious (audio)
: deserving of honor or esteem
honored for her meritorious service to the company
meritoriously adverb
meritoriousness noun

Did you know?

People who demonstrate meritorious behavior certainly "earn" our respect, and you can use that fact to remember that meritorious comes from the Latin verb merēre, which means "to earn." Nowadays, the rewards earned for meritorious acts are likely to be of an immaterial nature: gratitude, admiration, praise, etc. But that wasn't always so. The history of meritorious recalls a reward more concrete in nature: money. In Latin, meritorious literally means "bringing in money."

Examples of meritorious in a Sentence

She was given an award for meritorious service. worked all night with meritorious determination to get the project done on time
Recent Examples on the Web This year's most meritorious splurges include some familiar (read: repeat-winner) names. Allure, 26 Sep. 2024 That such a protest song existed at all was in itself apparently meritorious. David Polansky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024 It’s all made possible by its perfectly democratic and meritorious format. Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2024 This is somebody whose work is meritorious in its own right. Devon Ivie, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for meritorious 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meritorious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meritorious was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near meritorious

Cite this Entry

“Meritorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritorious. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

meritorious

adjective
mer·​i·​to·​ri·​ous ˌmer-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əs How to pronounce meritorious (audio)
-ˈtȯr-
: deserving reward or honor : praiseworthy
meritoriously adverb
meritoriousness noun

Legal Definition

meritorious

adjective
mer·​i·​to·​ri·​ous ˌmer-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əs How to pronounce meritorious (audio)
1
: deserving of honor or esteem
2
: having merit
a meritorious claim

More from Merriam-Webster on meritorious

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