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
Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Last season brought a three-win improvement, but the Gulls’ 29-35-5-3 record still merited ninth place.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
In the middle innings, the spotlight centered on Jacob Misiorowski, the 6-foot-7 rookie right-hander who merited an invitation to the All-Star Game this summer after only five starts.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
But in the case of Madelaine Petsch’s The Strangers trilogy, her executive producer title is well-merited.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
That really merited going from hit iconic artists with catalogs to brand-new artists.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
The request comes amid competing claims and concerns that Dallas acted in a way that merited punishment.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
This hurricane season isn’t the first time the region has merited close attention from the National Hurricane Center, said Dan Brown, branch chief of the center's hurricane specialists.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
Other than frustration at surging migration, Latin America has not merited the same level of attention in Washington as the Middle East, Europe or Asia in recent history.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Last season brought a three-win improvement, but the Gulls’ 29-35-5-3 record still merited ninth place.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
In the middle innings, the spotlight centered on Jacob Misiorowski, the 6-foot-7 rookie right-hander who merited an invitation to the All-Star Game this summer after only five starts.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
But in the case of Madelaine Petsch’s The Strangers trilogy, her executive producer title is well-merited.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
That really merited going from hit iconic artists with catalogs to brand-new artists.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
The request comes amid competing claims and concerns that Dallas acted in a way that merited punishment.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
This hurricane season isn’t the first time the region has merited close attention from the National Hurricane Center, said Dan Brown, branch chief of the center's hurricane specialists.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merited
Adjective
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Can that work in the big leagues, where the manager is usually a glorified PR staffer who talks to the media and takes the blame (deserved or not) for losses?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
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The result is a deserved cult film that promotes feminism and features some bona fide scares.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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If the current fiscal package is estimated to not only cover its costs but grow the economy too, the path is justified, argued Zandi.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
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Who can claim this jumble of junior-varsity field hockey teams, center-justified poetry, and polyester tux jackets as their intellectual property?—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merited. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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