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merit

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

mehruht

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈmɛɹət

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. countableuncountable

    Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward.

  2. countable

    A claim to commendation or a reward.

  3. countable

    A mark or token of approbation or to recognize excellence.

  4. The quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance)

verb

  1. intransitive

    To be deserving or worthy.

  2. transitive

    To deserve, to earn.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward.

Used this way, merit is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly positive
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Positive and appreciative
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • deservingness , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use merit

  • “Work of great merit.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

merit systemmerit paygreat meritsome meritliterary meritartistic meritmerit rating

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • merit systemnounCompound term

    The system of employing and promoting civil servants on the basis of ability.

  • merit badgenounCompound term

    A badge award to Boy Scouts in recognition of special projects.

  • merit paynounCompound term

    Extra pay awarded to an employee on the basis of merit (especially to school teachers).

  • judgment on the meritsnounCompound term

    Judgment rendered through analysis and adjudication of the factual issues presented.

  • judgement on the meritsnounCompound term

    Judgment rendered through analysis and adjudication of the factual issues presented.

  • figure of meritnounCompound term

    A numerical expression representing the efficiency of a given system, material, or procedure.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Antonyms

Sense: something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward

demeritfault

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.