MERITED Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

merited 1 of 2

adjective

as in deserved

being what is called for by accepted standards of right and wrong the punishment, although harsh, was entirely merited

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merited

2 of 2

verb

past tense of merit

as in earned

to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment) that selfless act of heroism merited a public ceremony to honor the young swimmer

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of merited

Verb

Joshua Patric Foster, 38, wept Friday in Paphos District Court as Judge Froso Christodoulidou ruled a prison term was not merited. — Menelaos Hadjicostis, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 In the pre-AI era, at least a dozen of those results could have merited any human mathematician a Fields Medal—math’s Nobel Prize. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026 Burts-Parker said she was rattled and left with concerns on whether a serious incident had happened over the weekend that merited a sizable response from federal law enforcement. — Angie Orellana Hernandez, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2026 Several Fed officials have recently signaled that further rate hikes may be merited to keep inflation from becoming more entrenched. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 Even when examining a juror’s conduct is merited, Professor Braccia says, those legal procedural questions shouldn’t undermine the concept of juror independence. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 Some critics of the budget cuts argue that the bar may be high but merited, given what the museum has to offer Brussels in terms of art, direct and indirect employment, and revitalizing the surrounding, low-income neighborhood. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 But for other council members, the distinction speakers drew between synthetic and non-synthetic kratom products merited more information before making a final decision. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 City won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup last season, but Gvardiol’s standards had led him to wonder whether, in normal circumstances, those celebrations would have been merited without a Premier League or Champions League. — Sam Lee, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for merited

Adjective

The question is whether Google — a company with a deserved reputation for giving up when the going gets tough — has the commitment to see this through and turn things around.

— Dominic Preston, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Amid ongoing disputes that have rattled a city office at the center of complaints for months, a grievance is pending in which a worker claims unfair treatment, discrimination and that he was denied a deserved promotion.

— Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of deserved

Adjective

Based purely on average revenue per user, a key metric for telecom companies, Jio's discount to Airtel seems justified, but Jio wants to be seen as a tech company and not just a utility player.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
That is, if the company were to spend at a higher-than-justified level to meet the terms of its agreement with Raoul's office, whether that spending can be passed on to ratepayers will still be subject to the commission's scrutiny.

— Maggie Dougherty, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of justified

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“Merited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merited. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of merited

adjective

verb

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