1. (n.) The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.

2. (n.) Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.

3. (n.) Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.

4. (n.) To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.

5. (n.) To reward.

6. (v. i.) To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit.

accent advantage advantageousness agreeableness arete assets auspiciousness award be deserving be entitled to be worthy of beneficialness benevolence benignity caliber class cogency comeuppance concern concernment consequence consequentiality consideration desert deserts deserve deserving due due reward dues earn emphasis entitle excellence excellency expedience fairness favorableness fineness first-rateness good goodliness goodness grace healthiness helpfulness high order high rank import importance interest just deserts justify kindness mark materiality merits moment niceness note paramountcy perfection pleasantness precedence preeminence primacy priority profitableness quality rate recompense repay requite reward rewardingness rights self-importance significance skillfulness soundness stature stress strong point superiority supremacy usefulness validity value virtue virtuousness warrant weight wholeness winnings worth worthiness