meritorious
adjective
Did you know?
People who demonstrate meritorious behavior certainly earn our respect, and you can use that fact to remember that meritorious has its roots in the Latin verb merēre, which means "to earn." (Merēre is also the source of the English noun and verb merit.) 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: cold, hard cash. In Latin, meritorious literally means "bringing in money."
Examples of meritorious in a Sentence
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
MacVean, who lived in Point Loma for nearly 50 years, was lauded for his work, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal on two occasions for meritorious service.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public endeavors.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
While there’s no question that alleviating poverty is a meritorious pursuit, so too is funding the discovery of a technology that allows millions to live more comfortably 20 years from now.
—Omar Al-Ubaydli, semafor.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for meritorious
Cite this Entry
“Meritorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritorious. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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meritorious
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meritorious
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