merit
A claim to commendation or a reward.
Noun 4 meanings
A claim to commendation or a reward.
A mark or token of approbation or to recognize excellence.
“For her good performance in the examination, her teacher gave her ten merits.”
Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward.
“His reward for his merit was a check for $50.”
The sum of all the good deeds that a person does which determines the quality of the person's next state of existence and contributes to the person's growth towards enlightenment.
“to acquire or make merit”
Verb 2 meanings
To deserve, to earn.
“Her performance merited wild applause.”
To be deserving or worthy.
“They were punished as they merited.”
Etymology
From Middle English merit, merite (“quality of person’s character or conduct deserving of reward or punishment; such reward or punishment; excellence, worthiness; benefit; right to be rewarded for spiritual service; retribution at doomsday; virtue through which Jesus Christ brings about salvation; virtue possessed by a holy person; power of a pagan deity”), from Anglo-Norman merit, merite, Old French merite (“moral worth, reward; merit”) (modern French mérite), from Latin meritum (“that which one deserves, deserts; benefit, reward, merit; service; kindness; importance, value, worth; blame, demerit, fault; grounds, reason”), neuter of meritus (“deserved, earned, obtained; due, proper, right; deserving, meritorious”), perfect passive participle of mereō (“to deserve, earn, obtain, merit; to earn a living”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to allot, assign”).
Similar and opposite words
MERIT at a glance
MERIT has 5 letters and scores 7 points in Scrabble (M 3 + E 1 + R 1 + I 1 + T 1) and 8 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #6,167 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with merit
All rhymes- SPIRIT8
- BRIT6
- INHERIT10
- GRIT5
- CULPRIT11
- WRIT7
- ESPRIT8
- CRIT6
- DEMERIT10
- AMRIT7
- SPRIT7
- FRIT7
One letter away
- MERIS7
- MERIL7
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