unmerited

adjective

Definition of unmeritednext
as in undeserved

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar 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 unmerited There’s barely a line of dialogue from any secondary character that doesn’t sound ripped from Twitter — not unmerited, just fatiguing. — Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026 Amin had a penchant for strutting around in public wearing a military jacket full of flashy but unmerited awards. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026 Lest you be concerned, there's no unmerited nepotism here. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025 Aimee Zavala, a twenty-nine-year-old who left the area around this time, believed that the police response was unmerited. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 Now, half a century ago, Congress realized that Social Security benefit windfalls for public sector employees were costly, unnecessary and unmerited. — Andrew Biggs, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024 Some have claimed that the cuts are unmerited, given that culture funding accounts for just over 2 percent of Berlin city budget. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerited
  1. undeserved
  2. unfair
  3. undue
  4. unjust
  5. unjustified
  6. unwarranted
Adjective
  • At the same time, some states are also lavishing tax breaks on data centers that some say are both undeserved and ultimately, bad economics.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Pete Davidson is either the luckiest man in Hollywood or a guy cursed with an undeserved bad rap.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of undeserved
Adjective
  • The lawsuit seeks a court declaration recognizing Taylor’s copyright ownership, a share of the profits generated by the allegedly infringing songs, and damages for alleged fraud, false imprisonment, and unfair business practices.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The board plans a day-long impasse hearing after abruptly postponing that meeting last month for fear the union would file an unfair labor practices lawsuit.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of unfair
Adjective
  • Alison Novoa, public information officer and director of strategic initiatives at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office, said voters there haven’t reported undue delays.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Hurts’ blood clots continue to raise questions about whether the Super Bowl-winning quarterback was placed at undue risk by being allowed to play and who is responsible for making those decisions.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of undue
Adjective
  • One of the most effective tools to prevent the unjust detention and deportation of immigrants is an immigration lawyer.
    — Glenn Formica, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The anchor’s legal complaint can be traced back to Weber’s 2018 lawsuit, in which Weber sued the anchor and her former partner James Bruce Taylor (the father of Burch’s son) for common count, fraud, conspiracy and unjust enrichment.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of unjust
Adjective
  • The story takes some unjustified and downright bizarre turns.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Martin was arrested and fired from the department after an Internal Affairs investigation found that his level of force during the shooting was unjustified.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unjustified
Adjective
  • His disparaging comments bemoaning the lack of financial support of UConn football by the state, UConn and Pratt & Whitney were totally unwarranted.
    — Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Ashlee Jordan, a 29-year-old Bridgewater woman who was a former Title Clerk at the Quincy RMV, was charged with one count of bribery, one count of unwarranted privilege, and one count of conspiracy to commit title fraud.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of unwarranted

Browse Nearby Words

unmercifully
unmerited
unmindful
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unmerited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerited. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All