meritorious
adjective
mer·i·to·ri·ous
ˌmer-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əs 
: deserving of honor or esteem
honored for her meritorious service to the company
meritoriously
adverb
meritoriousness
noun
Did you know?
People who demonstrate meritorious behavior certainly "earn" our respect, and you can use that fact to remember that meritorious comes from the Latin verb merēre, which means "to earn." Nowadays, the rewards earned for meritorious acts are likely to be of an immaterial nature: gratitude, admiration, praise, etc. But that wasn't always so. The history of meritorious recalls a reward more concrete in nature: money. In Latin, meritorious literally means "bringing in money."
Synonyms
Examples of meritorious in a Sentence
She was given an award for meritorious service.
worked all night with meritorious determination to get the project done on time
Recent Examples on the Web
Each situation is different and requires meritorious analysis.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
This year's most meritorious splurges include some familiar (read: repeat-winner) names.
—Allure, 26 Sep. 2024
That such a protest song existed at all was in itself apparently meritorious.
—David Polansky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024
It’s all made possible by its perfectly democratic and meritorious format.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2024
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Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
This year's most meritorious splurges include some familiar (read: repeat-winner) names.
—Allure, 26 Sep. 2024
That such a protest song existed at all was in itself apparently meritorious.
—David Polansky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024
It’s all made possible by its perfectly democratic and meritorious format.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for meritorious
Dictionary Entries Near meritorious
Cite this Entry
“Meritorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritorious. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
meritorious
adjective
mer·i·to·ri·ous
ˌmer-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əs
-ˈtȯr-
: deserving reward or honor : praiseworthy
meritoriously
adverb
meritoriousness
noun
Legal Definition
meritorious
adjective
mer·i·to·ri·ous
ˌmer-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əs
1
: deserving of honor or esteem
2
: having merit
a meritorious claim
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