as in deserved
being what is called for by accepted standards of right and wrong
the punishment, although harsh, was entirely merited
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Recent Examples of merited
Odette Yousef, NPR, 24 Jan. 2026
Avicii would need to wait a few more decades to qualify, his beats surely merited a place.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
But, Holcomb added, the defendant merited some time behind bars.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Losing both offensive and defensive coordinators the way the Lions did merited that.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sang each other’s praises, as merited.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
There is evidence of other complete burials at the site, indicating that the woman must have merited special treatment, Thompson said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Separately, Petro’s failure to control crime and narcotics production within Colombia, an enforcement effort that had been at the heart of the traditional bilateral relationship, merited and received a sharp response from Washington.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
However, if a board merited a deeper dive (say, a tester fell in love with a certain shape and wanted to elope), longer testing was par for the course.
—Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
Despite disagreement with Weaver's politics, however, legislators at that time appeared to agree that the policy and conduct of federal agents merited scrutiny.
—Odette Yousef, NPR, 24 Jan. 2026
Avicii would need to wait a few more decades to qualify, his beats surely merited a place.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
But, Holcomb added, the defendant merited some time behind bars.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Losing both offensive and defensive coordinators the way the Lions did merited that.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sang each other’s praises, as merited.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
There is evidence of other complete burials at the site, indicating that the woman must have merited special treatment, Thompson said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Separately, Petro’s failure to control crime and narcotics production within Colombia, an enforcement effort that had been at the heart of the traditional bilateral relationship, merited and received a sharp response from Washington.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
However, if a board merited a deeper dive (say, a tester fell in love with a certain shape and wanted to elope), longer testing was par for the course.
—Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merited
Adjective
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Winners who submit correct answers will receive deserved newsletter fame on Friday.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
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After years of deserved criticism for less-than-dynamic ownership and middling budgets, Ricketts should get a rousing ovation at the team’s fan convention Thursday.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Regulators, however, currently have no authority to include affiliates’ financial records when determining whether the rate hikes are justified.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
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According to Dumas, whether justified or not, confidence sustains effort long enough for skill and clarity to catch up.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merited. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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