US /ˌmɛrəˈtɔriəs/ UK /ˌmɛrɪˈtɔːriəs/
adj Freq #54921

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    deserving praise, honor, or reward because of excellence or good conduct

    The firefighter received a medal for meritorious service during the rescue.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · deserving praise, honor, or... commendablepraiseworthydeservingworthy
Word family
Forms meritoriously

Etymology

From Middle English meritorious, from Latin meritorius ("bringing in money; earning reward"), based on mereri ("earn, deserve"). The English sense generalized from earning payment or reward to conduct worthy of praise or distinction.

Topics

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