demerits

noun

plural of demerit
as in weaknesses
a defect in character my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of demerits When the total of demerits exceeds 30, the food establishment fails. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026 Kimi maxed out on demerits for handling of user data for training, while Copilot scored worst for direct handling of personalized data. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026 Those were the only demerits of the night for Ohtani. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demerits
  1. weaknesses
  2. faults
  3. sins
  4. shortcomings
Noun
  • Drug and other criminal enterprises have taken advantage of the government’s weaknesses.
    — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Meta is also deploying a red-teaming AI agent that probes its own safeguards for weaknesses bad actors could exploit.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaknesses
Noun
  • Facts are faced, faults are noted, death and life are seen and held.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Taylor’s attorney, Barbara Berkowitz, caught up with PEOPLE and shared one of Taylor’s few faults.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of faults
Noun
  • The Virgin acts as both midwife and priest, sheltering the pregnant pilgrim from the storm and washing away her sins so that she, too, can be delivered.
    — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
  • A lot along Colorado Boulevard may go from cleansing sins to cleansing Subarus, although some nearby residents hope to stop it.
    — Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of sins
Noun
  • In at least one instance, all of Ray Gunn‘s biggest shortcomings converge in the most leadenly predictable of ways.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Subsequent investigation into his death revealed a series of workplace safety shortcomings.
    — William J. Ford, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shortcomings

Browse Nearby Words

demerit
demerits
demesne
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Demerits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demerits. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All