as in weaknesses
a defect in character
my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy
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Recent Examples of demerits
Restaurants that receive more than 30 demerits are required to fix the worst violations immediately and clean up the rest within 48 hours.
—
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2026
As a do-it-all shoe, however, the SL Evo has two major demerits.
—Scott Douglas, Outside, 12 Nov. 2025
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2026
As a do-it-all shoe, however, the SL Evo has two major demerits.
—Scott Douglas, Outside, 12 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demerits
Noun
-
The actual severity of any shortcomings at OpenAI and how far any weaknesses could spread remain open questions, Yardeni said.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
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Different types of grass have different strengths and weaknesses.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This will mean that the US can produce the B-21 in numbers faster, but any undiscovered faults with the design could cause major headaches down the line.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
-
While not a precise scientific designation, a megaquake is generally considered a large seismic event placed at an eight or higher on the Richter scale that ruptures along major faults and can trigger further events like tsunamis.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There are worse sins in the world.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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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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But the attempt has revealed shortcomings and vulnerabilities that were waiting to be exploited—and can no longer be ignored.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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The third-year quarterback masked a number of the team’s roster deficiencies in his rookie season, but the combination of injuries, a tougher schedule and roster shortcomings derailed his second season.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demerits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demerits. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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