unmerited

adjective

un·​mer·​it·​ed ˌən-ˈmer-ə-təd How to pronounce unmerited (audio)
-ˈme-rə-
: not adequately earned or deserved : not merited
an unmerited award
unmerited insults
unmerited criticism/praise

Examples of unmerited in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This does not excuse the subsequent Republican descent into conspiracy-theory madness and all that has followed from that, but the kernel of mistrust at the center of that paranoiac outlook is not entirely unmerited. Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 26 May 2021 Beyond that, President Biden’s attacks on the court are unmerited and dangerous. Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 30 June 2022 My personal trials have also taught me the value of unmerited suffering. Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 26 Apr. 2021 The good nap alights upon you like the grace of God: weightless, unmerited, spirit-altering. James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2020 JoJo is reminiscent of the donkey-saint in Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, a symbol of innocence, of unmerited suffering. Casey Gerald, The New York Review of Books, 7 Mar. 2020 The billboard ban legislation would slap yet another unfair — and unmerited — burden upon this new industry. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Jan. 2020 The hackneyed script has the effect of lending an unmerited nobility to the politicians and bureaucrats onscreen. David Klion, The New Republic, 12 Dec. 2019 Ignored for decades in New York and Tokyo, driven to madness, even plagiarized by less talented men, Ms. Kusama is enjoying a late and not unmerited surge in public visibility. Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unmerited.' 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

1581, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unmerited was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near unmerited

Cite this Entry

“Unmerited.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmerited. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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