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

• admirable
• applaudable
• commendable
• creditable
• estimable
• laudable
• praiseworthy

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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids 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