adjective
meritorious
mair-ih-TOR-ee-us/ˌmerɪˈtɔːriəs/
Deserving praise or reward.
Neighbors reward the volunteer's meritorious work restoring their garden.
Etymology
Latin meritorius described something paid for or earning money. English shifted this idea of earning to deserving divine grace, then more generally to being worthy of reward, praise, or honor.
In context
Sailors can also earn meritorious advancement for Superior performance at the discretion of their commanding officer
More examples
- Several meritorious proposals deserved further support.
- He received a medal for meritorious conduct during the rescue.
- The committee distinguished meritorious work from mere popularity.
Forms
meritorious · more meritorious · most meritorious
Similar words
- commendable
- Both deserve praise; meritorious often suggests substantive merit worthy of formal recognition.
- deserving
- Deserving may need an object such as punishment; meritorious implies praise or reward.