demerit

noun

de·​mer·​it di-ˈmer-ət How to pronounce demerit (audio)
dē-,
-ˈme-rət
1
obsolete : offense
2
a
: a quality that deserves blame or lacks merit : fault, defect
b
: lack of merit
3
: a mark usually entailing a loss of privilege given to an offender

Examples of demerit in a Sentence

Students are given demerits if they arrive late for classes. my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Two restaurants received over 30 demerits: Tortilleria Super Sabrosa, 3251 Mansfield Highway, had a score of 43. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 July 2025 Extra demerits for making such statements at a music festival. Thania Garcia, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025 The report compiled by the Star-Telegram contains data from June 29 through July 5 and 144 inspections Fort Worth’s restaurants function on a demerit system: Zero demerits is considered a perfect score. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2025 Food and diet researchers are also criticizing the direction the National Institutes of Health are going in possibly stifling debate regarding the merits and demerits of different foods. Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for demerit

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French demerite, from Medieval Latin demeritum, from neuter of demeritus, past participle of demerēre to be undeserving of, from Latin, to earn, from de- + merēre to merit

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of demerit was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Demerit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demerit. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

demerit

noun
de·​mer·​it di-ˈmer-ət How to pronounce demerit (audio)
1
: a quality that deserves blame : fault
2
: a mark placed against a person's record for some fault or offense

More from Merriam-Webster on demerit

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