as in weakness
a defect in character
my keyboarding has the advantage of speed but the demerit of inaccuracy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demerit
But in a movie that’s worth a meatier discussion, this prof (played by the auteur Eva Victor) gets a demerit for class planning.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Negative externalities resulting from the consumption of demerit goods can be seen in the harmful effects of secondhand smoke on others.
—Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
By bringing their operations together, the two rail majors will provide crucial information to other prominent railroad companies about the merits and demerits of mergers, along with how best to combine in the future.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The merit and demerits of the notes above should be pretty obvious.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demerit
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Negative externalities resulting from the consumption of demerit goods can be seen in the harmful effects of secondhand smoke on others.
—Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
By bringing their operations together, the two rail majors will provide crucial information to other prominent railroad companies about the merits and demerits of mergers, along with how best to combine in the future.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The merit and demerits of the notes above should be pretty obvious.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demerit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demerit
Noun
-
Some analysts have raised alarms about how weakness in a key node of the web, like OpenAI, could set off a chain reaction that could threaten the entire AI ecosystem.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Prior to his senior year, Maloney worked extremely hard to correct his weakness.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Additional information about the crash, including the directions both cars were traveling, which driver was at fault and whether drugs, alcohol or speeding are believed to be factors, was not immediately available Thursday.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
-
And later, when water levels dropped, tectonics shifted, reefs grew, and the ice age locked away the planet’s water supplies into glaciers, and new faults thrust the land skyward to dry?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The galley starts directly next to the lounge with an available 90-L Isotherm door fridge/freezer and extends down the passenger sidewall with a countertop with inbuilt sin and available portable induction cooktop.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Apr. 2026
-
For Nikolas Indigo, the road to freedom was lined with warnings against a life of sin.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the attempt has revealed shortcomings and vulnerabilities that were waiting to be exploited—and can no longer be ignored.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The third-year quarterback masked a number of the team’s roster deficiencies in his rookie season, but the combination of injuries, a tougher schedule and roster shortcomings derailed his second season.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dombrowski, like Breslow, is more responsible than his manager for the failings of his club, which ended its 10-game losing streak on Saturday night but still is worse off than the Red Sox at 9-18.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Now it had been relegated again to a leftist cause, a symbol of anti-imperial resistance for some and the face of communism’s failings for others.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While many people get enough potassium from a balanced diet, some are more prone to a potassium deficiency.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Texas health department outlined the issues in an emergency plan deficiency letter in response to the camp’s application for a license to reopen.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demerit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demerit. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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