merit

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“
Because the merit is an unreal merit, it does not corrupt or sophisticate his real merits.

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Definitions (31)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (9)

  1. noun Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit.
  2. noun A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late.
  3. noun Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone.
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Examples (50)

  • If Gibbon escaped the peril of being an ignorant and frivolous lounger, the merit was his own. —  The Project Gutenberg eBook of Gibbon, by James Cotter Morison
  • She endeavors by her tears and her despair, to persuade you that your person and your merit are all she regrets; that the loss of your heart is the summit of misfortune; that she knows nobody who can indemnify her for the loss of it. —  Life, Letters, and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de L'Enclos, the Celebrated Beauty of the Seventeenth Century
  • As a teacher, I feel that her analogy sums up the issue of "teacher merit is a statistically important factor of student success, but does not necessarily equal student success" beautifully. —  Nicholas D. Kristof
  • "Beckham is becoming an indispensable player for this team and the merit is all his and of his intelligence." —  Soccer Blogs - latest posts
  • I don't don't know if it runs properly, hope that it's more reliable than a Jaguar on 4 wheels (ask anyone who owns or owned one), but the merit is at least the steel fabrication. —  Cyril Huze Blog
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

virtue ·  importance ·  excellence ·  talent ·  achievement ·  advantage ·  dignity ·  success ·  wealth ·  honour ·  courage ·  distinction

Used in the same contextWord Family

merit:   merits ·  merited
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French merite, reward or punishment, from Latin meritum, from neuter past participle of merēre, to deserve; see (s)mer-2 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English merite, meryte, maret, from Old French merite, French mérite = Provencal merit, merite = Spanish mérito = Portuguese Italian merito, from Latin meritum, that which one deserves, desert (good or bad); also, a ground of desert (service, kindness, benefit, or fault, blame, demerit), worth, value, importance; neuter of meritus, past participle of merere, mereri (later Old French merir), deserve, be worthy of, earn, gain, get, acquire, buy, in military use (sc. stipendia), earn pay. serve for pay; literally ‘receive as a share,’ akin to Greek μέρος, μερίς, a part, share, division, μόρος, a part, lot, fate, destiny, μοῑρα, lot, μειρεσθαι, share, divide. Cf. mercantile, mercenary, merchant, mercy, etc., from the same ult. source.
  2. from Middle English *meriten, from Old French meriter, French mériter = Spanish meritar = Italian meritare, from Latin meritare, earn, gain, serve for pay, freq. of merere. earn, gain, merit: see merit, n.
 

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/ˈmɛrɪt/
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