What does “merit” mean?

merit


Oh, this is a good one —

"Merit" means the quality of being good, valuable, or deserving of something. If something has merit, it's worth taking seriously.

So imagine your friend has a new business idea. You might say, "Hey, I think your idea has real merit!" — meaning it's actually a solid, good idea. Or a teacher might say, "This essay has merit, but it needs more work." That means the writing is good in some ways, but not perfect yet.

You can also use it when talking about people. Like, "She got the job on merit" — meaning she earned it because she's truly skilled, not because she knew someone or got lucky.

Basically, if something has merit, it genuinely deserves respect or attention — it earned it! 👍

Related words

The dictionary you'll enjoy reading.

What is Hey Dictionary?

Hey Dictionary explains words, slang, and idioms the way a native friend would — casual, with real examples — instead of a stiff, formal definition. Type a word and read it like a text from a friend.

Benefits of using Hey

  • deeper & more nuanced understanding of the word
  • greatly increase comprehensible input
  • learn natural spoken language
  • make language learning more fun

Who is Hey for?

  • Casual language learners (travel, making friends, cultural exchange)
  • People who prioritize verbal over written expression
  • People tired of ordinary, boring dictionaries

How to use Hey (effectively)?

  1. 1.Enter a word or short phrase you want to learn
  2. 2.Read the explanation in the target language
  3. 3.Highlight words to check their pronunciation

FAQ

Yes. The main lookup feature is free and needs no login.