merit

{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}

noun

ADJECTIVE

▪ considerable, exceptional, great, outstanding

▪ actual, real, true

▪

a lawsuit that lacked any real merit

▪ intrinsic

▪ obvious

▪ comparative, relative

▪

We need to consider the relative merits of both makes of dishwasher.

▪ dubious, questionable

▪ individual

▪

Each case should be judged on its individual merits.

▪ personal

▪

She was elected on personal merit.

▪ academic, aesthetic, architectural, artistic, intellectual, legal, literary, musical, scientific, technical

▪

The movie has no artistic merit whatsoever.

VERB + MERIT

▪ have

▪ argue, assess, compare, consider, debate, determine, discuss, evaluate, examine, judge, weigh (esp. BrE), weigh up (esp. BrE)

▪

We need to assess the merits of both proposals before making our decision.

▪ question

▪

I began to question the merits of these new technologies.

▪ lack

▪

The play lacked artistic merit.

▪ prove

▪

She proved her merit as a serious actress.

▪ acknowledge, appreciate, recognize, see

▪

She saw the merit in this arrangement.

▪ find

▪

I find no merit at all in any of the arguments.

MERIT + NOUN

▪ award

▪

She received a merit award for outstanding work.

▪ badge

▪ pay (AmE)

▪ increase, raise (both AmE)

▪

decisions on merit raises and promotions

▪ scholarship (AmE)

▪ system (esp. AmE)

▪

Other schools already have merit systems in place that reward good work.

PREPOSITION

▪ according to merit

▪

Movies are given a rating of one to five stars according to merit.

▪ on merit

▪

Prizes are awarded entirely on merit.

▪ merit in

▪

There is some merit in his argument.

▪ merit to

▪

There is lots of merit to the idea.

PHRASES

▪ no merit in sth/doing sth

▪

I can see no merit in excluding the child from school.

▪

I found no artistic merit in this film.

▪ order of merit (BrE)

▪

The winners are ranked in order of merit.

{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}

verb

ADVERB

▪ certainly, clearly

▪ barely, hardly

▪

The question hardly merits an answer.

Merit is used with these nouns as the object: ↑attention, ↑consideration, ↑discussion, ↑explanation, ↑inclusion, ↑investigation, ↑mention, ↑recognition