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 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
Its Lifetime Achievement and other meritorious award recipients will be named later.
—
Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 6 June 2025
His 35-year career has been recognized in more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025
The firm’s services will be dedicated to helping veterans, Gold Star families, law enforcement offices and first responders — all unarguably meritorious individuals deserving of support.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
In selling its example and worldview, China could draw on Confucian ideas, including the notion that collective values are more meritorious than individualistic ones.
—Rana Mitter, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meritorious
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Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 6 June 2025
His 35-year career has been recognized in more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025
The firm’s services will be dedicated to helping veterans, Gold Star families, law enforcement offices and first responders — all unarguably meritorious individuals deserving of support.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
In selling its example and worldview, China could draw on Confucian ideas, including the notion that collective values are more meritorious than individualistic ones.
—Rana Mitter, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 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 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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