Merit
English Meaning
The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.
- Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit.
- A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late.
- Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone.
- An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval. Often used in the plural: judging people according to their merits.
- Christianity Spiritual credit granted for good works.
- Law A party's strict legal rights, excluding jurisdictional, personal, or technical aspects.
- The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.
- To earn; deserve. See Synonyms at earn1.
- To be worthy or deserving: Pupils are rewarded or corrected, as they merit.