DEMERIT

demerit, fault

(noun) the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection; “they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel”; “he knew his own faults much better than she did”

demerit

(noun) a mark against a person for misconduct or failure; usually given in school or armed forces; “ten demerits and he loses his privileges”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

demerit (countable and uncountable, plural demerits)

A quality of being inadequate; a fault; a disadvantage

A mark given for bad conduct to a person attending an educational institution or serving in the army.

That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert.

Synonyms

• discredit

Antonyms

• merit

Verb

demerit (third-person singular simple present demerits, present participle demeriting, simple past and past participle demerited)

(transitive, archaic) To deserve.

(transitive, archaic) To depreciate or cry down.

Anagrams

• detemir, dimeter, merited, mitered, red time, retimed

Source: Wiktionary


De*mer"it, n. Etym: [F. démérite demerit (in sense 2), OF. demerite demerit (in sense 1), fr. L. demerere to deserve well, LL., to deserve well or ill; de- + merere to deserve. See De-, and Merit.]

1. That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert. [Obs.] By many benefits and demerits whereby they obliged their adherents, [they] acquired this reputation. Holland.

2. That which deserves blame; ill desert; a fault; a vice; misconduct; -- the opposite of Ant: merit. They see no merit or demerit in any man or any action. Burke. Secure, unless forfeited by any demerit or offense. Sir W. Temple.

3. The state of one who deserves ill.

De*mer"it, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. démériter to deserve ill. See Demerit, n.]

1. To deserve; -- said in reference to both praise and blame. [Obs.] If I have demerited any love or thanks. Udall. Executed as a traitor . . . as he well demerited. State Trials (1645).

2. To depreciate or cry down. [R.] Bp. Woolton.

De*mer"it, v. i.

Definition: To deserve praise or blame.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

3 February 2025

CRAZY

(adjective) possessed by inordinate excitement; “the crowd went crazy”; “was crazy to try his new bicycle”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. When coffee berries turn from green to bright red – indicating ripeness – they are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor.

coffee icon