merit 1 of 2

noun

ˈmer-ət How to pronounce merit (audio)
Definition of meritnext
1
as in distinction
a quality that gives something special worth this mystery novel at least has the merit of an original plot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in value
the relative usefulness or importance of something as judged by specific qualities that idea has some merit, so let's explore it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

merit

2 of 2

verb

as in to deserve
to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment) that selfless act of heroism merited a public ceremony to honor the young swimmer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 merit
Noun
Circuit Court Judge Glenn Kelley ruled that the three unidentified Palestinian-American county residents, who sued last October, lacked legal merits to bring a case against Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Mike Caruso. — Jake Shore, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 Create characters built around lifepaths, natures, clan traits, and merits. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 July 2026
Verb
Before Crandall, severe cases would simply merit a closed casket; after him, virtually no corpse was too damaged to escape a mortician’s care. — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 Well, Jonah Cox is nearly recovered from his oblique injury and could merit a longer look. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for merit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merit
  1. distinction
  2. value
  3. deserve
  4. advantage
  5. importance
  6. virtue
  7. excellence
Noun
  • This of course gives the Charger the unenviable distinction of being a vehicle that is both statistically more dangerous to be inside in the event of a crash, as well as increasing the chances of another driver dying whenever one is involved.
    — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 30 July 2026
  • The distinction is important for the development of useful quantum computers.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 July 2026
Definition of distinction
Noun
  • In the 1960s, the previous owner reached an agreement with Peninsula Open Space Trust, a nonprofit, with the intent of protecting the property's recreational and agricultural value.
    — Sooji Nam, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The company has developed partnerships with Equinox, Lifetime, Barry’s Bootcamp, F45 and even the Delta One lounge at JFK to make structured recovery a customer value add.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of value
Verb
  • Namely stage 13 when the race split into pieces, Tom Pidcock climbed back up the GC, Pedersen had to make a desperate attempt to reach Philipsen up the road to defend green, and the excellent Mauro Schmid got the victory his talent deserves.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • With last week’s OpenAI incident evoking troubling scenes straight out of the most dystopian sci-fi novels, the tools, which are currently in preview mode, deserve a healthy dose of caution that Microsoft made no mention of.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 July 2026
Definition of deserve
Noun
  • Those firms that subordinated customer value to residual claims frequently paid a price; those who reversed the order compounded advantage.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Trust, financing, developer communities, standards, commercial partnerships, and diplomatic credibility have become competitive advantages in their own right.
    — Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of advantage
Noun
  • Most importantly, the bureau has been elevated in importance, and other ministries are now formally required to share their information.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • This month, a gay rights activist obtained the memo outlining the agreement from the Defense Department after filing a lawsuit, arguing that clarity was of public importance.
    — Jamie Stengle, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of importance
Noun
  • Deliberation remains one of higher education's greatest virtues.
    — David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But if this move was taken in good faith — lower your eyebrows, please — then what was the virtue in keeping it secret?
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of virtue
Noun
  • The Property Masters Guild on Thursday revealed the nominees for its 2026 MacGuffin Awards, which honor the creative excellence and impact of prop masters across film, television, commercials and more.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 30 July 2026
  • Nishith Rastogi is a Founder & CEO of Locus, a leading-edge technology company helping 300+ global enterprises gain excellence in logistics.
    — Nishith Rastogi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of excellence

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Cite this Entry

“Merit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merit. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of merit for Spanish Speakers

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