meritorious

adjective

mer·​i·​to·​ri·​ous ˌmer-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əs 

: 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 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."

Synonyms of meritorious

• worthy
• excellent
• admirable
• praiseworthy
• laudable
• commendable
• creditable
• honorable
• distinguished
• impressive

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

The award would recognize those nominated for bravery or meritorious awards under the existing Australian Honors and Awards system for their actions during and after the attack, according to The Associated Press. —Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025

No meritorious credit will be granted. —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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for meritorious

• glorious
• inglorious
• laborious
• notorious
• sartorius
• uproarious
• vainglorious
• victorious

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Kids Definition

meritorious

adjective

mer·​i·​to·​ri·​ous ˌmer-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əs 

-ˈtȯr-

: deserving reward or honor : praiseworthy

meritoriously adverb

meritoriousness noun

Legal Definition

meritorious

adjective

mer·​i·​to·​ri·​ous ˌmer-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əs 

1

: deserving of honor or esteem

2

: having merit

a meritorious claim