as in weakness
a defect in character
my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demerit
The MacBook Neo’s most significant demerit is its connectivity suite.
—
Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
That’s a demerit for journalists covering the Games, many of whom typically venture from sport to sport and venue to venue to report on the event’s full scope.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
By bringing their operations together, the two rail majors will provide crucial information to other prominent railroad companies about the merits and demerits of mergers, along with how best to combine in the future.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The merit and demerits of the notes above should be pretty obvious.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demerit
Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
That’s a demerit for journalists covering the Games, many of whom typically venture from sport to sport and venue to venue to report on the event’s full scope.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
By bringing their operations together, the two rail majors will provide crucial information to other prominent railroad companies about the merits and demerits of mergers, along with how best to combine in the future.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The merit and demerits of the notes above should be pretty obvious.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demerit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demerit
Noun
-
Symptoms depend on the patient, but MS can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, walking problems, numbness, and more.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Verdad Advisers Dan Rasmussen Additionally, a deeper concern for investors is that the current episode is exposing structural weaknesses in the private market model itself.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The district and Catholic school administrators had traded blame over who was at fault.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The jury assigned 60% of the fault to Carnival and 40% to the passenger, who suffered a severe fall and injuries while onboard.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There are worse sins in the world.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Believers confess their sins to a priest, receive spiritual guidance and absolution and typically are required to make an act of contrition like saying specific prayers.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Manually selecting photos with the plus button in Gemini can help address these shortcomings.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2026
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At the time of the inspection in March 2024 the financial regulator found weaknesses in risk assessments, routines and customer due diligence, as well as shortcomings in ongoing follow-up of customer relationships and outsourcing, according to a statement on Thursday.—
Evelina Youcefi,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Isolated by its beautiful, rugged mountains, West Virginia sits entirely within Appalachia and has long been listed at the bottom of a laundry list of failings, including poor health and a lack of education.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The commitment angst plaguing Charlie and Emma over Emma’s secret seems to have a lot to do with several contemporary concerns—mixed messaging about gender roles, confusion over what constitutes a moral failing—that yield knee-jerk responses.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Given Luna’s physical deficiencies, the system relies on human employees to prepare the shop and interact with customers.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
-
His athletic deficiencies show up in pass protection.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demerit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demerit. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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