26984 words

merit

10 definitions • 15 examples
1
the quality of being good and deserving praise:

Examples:

an entertaining film with little artistic merit
Her ideas have merit.
Brierley's book has the merit of being both informative and readable.
2
the advantages something has compared to something else:

Examples:

We discussed the merits of herbal tea.
3
according to the qualities you have or have shown, without considering any other information or comparing you to someone else:

Examples:

The committee will consider each applicant on his or her own merits.
4
If something merits a particular treatment, it deserves or is considered important enough to be treated in that way:

Examples:

The accident merited only a small paragraph in the local paper.
5
the quality of being good and deserving praise, or a good quality:

Examples:

[ U ] Judged on artistic merit, it was a success.
[ C ] Being able to work at home has its merits.
6
to deserve something:

Examples:

7
the quality of being good and deserving to be praised or rewarded, or an advantage that something has:

Examples:

Proposals will be judged strictly on merit by an external committee.
I fail to see the merit of organizing the work in that way.
8
extra pay given to employees who have done their job well and made noticeable improvements in the company, department, etc.:

Examples:

The average merit pay increase over the past five years has been in the range of 3 to 4%.
9
if a court decides that a complaint, case, etc. has merit, it accepts that it is true or there is evidence for it:

Examples:

The lawsuit was found to be completely without merit.
10
to deserve to be treated or considered in a particular way:

Examples:

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