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Merit

n. capable, thoughtful professional

What it means

Meaning 1

A good quality or feature that gives something genuine worth.

Reach for it when recognizing a specific strength without claiming the whole proposal or person is flawless

The plan's chief merit is that residents can operate it without outside support.

Meaning 2

The quality of deserving serious consideration, approval, or reward.

Reach for it when evaluating whether an idea, claim, or piece of work warrants recognition

The committee agreed that the smaller proposal had enough merit for a trial.

Words to choose between 10

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
professional
formal

Meaning 1: A good quality or feature that gives something genuine worth.

  • everyday

    good point

    Fits when one valid feature or argument deserves informal credit

    Careful The phrase is casual and may sound faint in a formal evaluation.

  • professional

    advantage

    Fits when a feature improves one option relative to another

    Careful An advantage can be self-serving or accidental and need not deserve praise.

  • professional

    asset

    Fits when a useful quality contributes value to a person or organization

    Careful Asset can commodify a person and does not necessarily concern moral or intellectual merit.

  • professional

    strength

    Fits when one favorable feature should be identified clearly

    Careful Strength can mean power or resilience without conferring worth.

  • formal

    virtue

    Fits when a quality is morally good or especially beneficial

    Careful Virtue can moralize a practical design advantage.

Meaning 2: The quality of deserving serious consideration, approval, or reward.

  • everyday

    value

    Fits when usefulness or importance is the intended claim

    Careful Value can be monetary and may not imply excellence.

  • professional

    quality

    Fits when the standard of work or construction is being judged

    Careful Quality is broad and can be good or poor without context.

  • professional

    substance

    Fits when an idea has real content beyond presentation

    Careful Substance does not by itself show that the content is good.

  • formal

    deservingness

    Fits when qualification for recognition or reward is the exact question

    Careful The abstract noun sounds bureaucratic and can hide contested criteria.

  • formal

    worth

    Fits when overall value or deservingness is central

    Careful Worth can sound like a judgment of a person's total value.

Opposites 3

  • defect
  • demerit
  • worthlessness

Common phrases 4

  • have merit

    Both suggestions have merit, but they solve different problems.

  • considerable merit

    The apprentice's design has considerable merit despite its rough finish.

  • main merit

    The tool's main merit is that every part can be replaced locally.

  • judge on merit

    Entries are judged on merit against criteria published in advance.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated