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

Hegseth, a combat veteran, received two Bronze Stars, including a 2012 citation for meritorious service as a counterinsurgency instructor. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2024

He was first deployed by the National Guard to Guantánamo Bay in 2004, then volunteered to serve in Iraq, where he was awarded the first of two Bronze Stars for meritorious service. —Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2024

His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service and the Iraq Campaign Medal. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024

Dendy, who died several months ago, was the recipient of the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal for exceptionally meritorious service with the 45th Infantry Regiment in Vietnam. —Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Nov. 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