as in weakness
a defect in character
my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy
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Recent Examples of demerit
Fort Worth uses a demerit system, with zero being a perfect score.
—
Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2025
India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant received a demerit point from the ICC after the first Test at Headingley for throwing the ball on the floor in frustration after umpire Paul Reiffel had inspected it and turned down his request for a replacement.
—James Wallace, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
Food and diet researchers are also criticizing the direction the National Institutes of Health are going in possibly stifling debate regarding the merits and demerits of different foods.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Extra demerits for making such statements at a music festival.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demerit
Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2025
India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant received a demerit point from the ICC after the first Test at Headingley for throwing the ball on the floor in frustration after umpire Paul Reiffel had inspected it and turned down his request for a replacement.
—James Wallace, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
Food and diet researchers are also criticizing the direction the National Institutes of Health are going in possibly stifling debate regarding the merits and demerits of different foods.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Extra demerits for making such statements at a music festival.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demerit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demerit
Noun
-
That humility will always prevail over ego, kindness isn’t a form of weakness, and true happiness isn’t measured by what’s in your bank account or even by the empty rows of your refrigerator.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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How does the relative length of our haunting reflect our collective moral strengths and weaknesses?—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Who’s ultimately at fault here?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Incidentally, their friend Jesus’ relapse a few years ago isn’t Lee’s fault, but, as Wendell reminds him, Lee was supposed to check on him that day.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In early Christian thinking, its connotations of languor and listlessness, within the spirit no less than the body, lent it the status of a sin—a turning aside from God for the sake of earthly sorrow.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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Nadal believes clay-court tennis at night is something like a sin against the sport, but 2020 was the first year in which Court Philippe-Chatrier held a session that went past darkness.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV is familiar enough to entice old fans, but the American automaker is adressing several of its original shortcomings.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
15 Oct. 2025
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The Broncos danced on a precarious edge all day because of shortcomings almost everywhere else, some of which could pose real concerns.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As was Matthiessen’s self-awareness about his own moral failings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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So [in the film], there’s this sort of notion that, if a movie star kind of represents us in all our failings and humanity, what does that mean exactly?—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Sprinkle in Minerals Don't just toss in minerals at random, says Damrosch—only use when recommended by your soil test to correct deficiencies that have been identified.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Oct. 2025
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For that reason, the vast majority of companies now employ human reviews and stand-alone testing tools or services to address generative AI’s deficiencies.—
Philipp Eisenhauer,
Harvard Business Review,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demerit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demerit. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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