demerit

noun

de·​mer·​it di-ˈmer-ət 

dē-,

-ˈme-rət

1

obsolete : offense

2

a

: a quality that deserves blame or lacks merit : fault, defect

b

: lack of merit

3

: a mark usually entailing a loss of privilege given to an offender

Synonyms

• dereliction
• failing
• fault
• foible
• frailty
• shortcoming
• sin
• vice
• want
• weakness

Examples of demerit in a Sentence

Students are given demerits if they arrive late for classes.

my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy

Recent Examples on the Web

Tarrant County’s inspections function on a demerit system: a score of 100 is considered perfect, and a score of 70 is considered to be extremely poor. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2025

Ten moderate Democrats voted with Republicans to approve the official demerit. Green, well known as a Trump critic, could face additional repercussions. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025

Restaurants with over 30 demerits are required to fix the worst issues immediately and remedy the rest within 48 hours. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2025

Fort Worth’s inspections function on a demerit system: 0 demerits is considered a perfect score. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French demerite, from Medieval Latin demeritum, from neuter of demeritus, past participle of demerēre to be undeserving of, from Latin, to earn, from de- + merēre to merit

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for demerit

• inherit
• preterit
• buret
• carat
• ferret
• garret
• karat
• merit
• parrot
• disinherit

Kids Definition

demerit

noun

de·​mer·​it di-ˈmer-ət 

1

: a quality that deserves blame : fault

2

: a mark placed against a person's record for some fault or offense