merit

I UK [ˈmerɪt] / US noun
Word forms "merit":
singular merit plural merits
**

1)

a) [countable, usually plural] an advantage or good quality that someone or something has

I can see very little merit in this approach.

merit of:

Viktor and Katya were arguing the merits of independence as I sat down.

Attention to detail is one of the great merits of the book.

b) [uncountable] the good qualities of someone or something that make you admire them or think they are important or valuable

He's not a great writer, though his work does have some literary merit.

The argument isn't without merit.

be of merit:

Their ideas are of some merit but there are better ways.

2) [countable] a mark that a school student gets as a reward for good work or behaviour

•

on (someone's/something's) merit — according only to how good someone or something is, not for any other reason

The successful candidate will be chosen on merit alone.

judge someone/something on their own merits:

We should judge her on her own merits rather than on her father's position in the company.

II UK [ˈmerɪt] / US verb [transitive]
Word forms "merit":
present tense I/you/we/they merit he/she/it merits present participle meriting past tense merited past participle merited formal

to deserve or be worth something

The case definitely merits further investigation.