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
Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
To accomplish the latter, first-year Saints coach Kellen Moore, a former Boise State quarterback, must show that the step up from offensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Eagles was merited.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 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
That really merited going from hit iconic artists with catalogs to brand-new artists.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
To accomplish the latter, first-year Saints coach Kellen Moore, a former Boise State quarterback, must show that the step up from offensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Eagles was merited.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 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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Yungblud has certainly been getting a lot of deserved attention as of late, particularly from the hard rock and metal crowds as a result of his tributes to Ozzy Osbourne.—
Quentin Thane Singer,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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However, the excitement in Green Bay is real and deserved.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Today, as the world's justified horror at the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza grows, that work has taken on new urgency.—
Andrew Weinstein,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Instead, the miniseries — adapted from Michelle Frances’ novel by Naomi Sheldon and Gabbie Asher — makes clear relatively early that even if both women are at fault, one of them is far more justified than the other in her level of mistrust.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merited. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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