adj
Freq #54921
Meanings
-
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
Opposites
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.