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
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
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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
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 22 Dec. 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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