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
-
Years of the petrodollar’s weakening grasp The petrodollar’s weakness has been quietly exposed for even years prior to Saudi Arabia’s currency swap with China.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Reinsdorf also emphasized the importance of both internal and external communication for a new hire, a notable weakness of the Karnišovas administration.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The judge also found fault with the Pentagon’s attempt to revise an earlier policy that restricted journalists from soliciting information, classified or unclassified, that was not approved for release.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The cost partly is the fault of Pritzker and state lawmakers.—
Willie Wilson,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As reported by Artribune, the provocateur, who recently made headlines for inviting the public to confess their sins to him, is now asking participants to bring an object of their choosing to a sunrise gathering, where it can be exchanged with others.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
10 Apr. 2026
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Buddhists often celebrate Vesak with processions, by visiting temples, meditating and through acts of fasting, while adherents in India may immerse themselves in the river Ganga to wash away their sins.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And, clearly, there are shortcomings to the current drug-approval process.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The show mostly avoids the politics that swirl around the design business, especially these days when critics are obsessed with the environmental evils of fast fashion and the shortcomings of an industry known to exploit labor around the globe.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
6 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
-
More accurately, these failings are arrogance and incompetence.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 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 14 Apr. 2026.
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