What does meriting mean?
Meriting is the present participle of the verb “merit,” meaning to deserve or be worthy of something. It is especially common in formal and editorial contexts, where writers use it to identify a matter that warrants attention, consideration, praise, or further investigation. The phrase “meriting closer examination” describes something important or potentially significant that should not be accepted without careful review. Unlike “meritorious,” which is an adjective describing someone or something worthy of praise, “meriting” is a verb and normally takes a direct object, as in “The claim merits attention.” Its use can sound deliberately formal, so simpler verbs such as “deserve” or “warrant” may be preferable in casual speech. Even so, the word is useful in precise writing because it emphasizes the basis for a judgment: a subject meriting discussion or recognition is one that has earned that treatment through its qualities or actions.
verbTo deserve or be worthy of something, especially consideration, attention, praise, or reward. In the present participle, it often forms constructions such as “a matter meriting further discussion.”
- To deserve or be worthy of a particular form of treatment, recognition, or consideration.
"The proposal merits serious consideration before the committee makes a decision."
"The evidence clearly meriting further scrutiny changed the course of the investigation."
"Her performance was meriting awards long before the judges formally announced their decision."
To merit something is to earn it; to be meriting attention is to deserve notice before the applause begins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does meriting come from?
“Meriting” comes from the English word “merit,” which traces to Latin meritum, meaning “reward” or “punishment,” and ultimately to Latin meritus, “earned” or “deserved,” a participle related to merere, “to earn” or “to deserve.” The English noun and verb developed in the Middle English period, and the modern present-participle form “meriting” follows that established sense. Its relatives “meritorious” and “meritoriously” retain the same idea of being worthy of praise or reward, while “demerit” developed from the same Latin root with a contrasting evaluative meaning.
Related word forms
How meriting is actually used
Chiefly formal and more common in editorial, academic, and legal writing than in everyday conversation. It is frequently used in passive constructions, with the subject receiving the consideration or attention.
Easily confused with meriting
Meriting is the present participle of the verb “merit,” meaning to deserve something, whereas merited is an adjective or past participle meaning earned or deserved.
Meriting is a verb describing what something deserves, while meritorious is an adjective meaning worthy of praise or reward.