demerit
/diːˈmɛrɪt
/noun
1A fault or disadvantage: the merits and demerits of these proposals...
- At that time, I will try to set out what I think are the chief merits and demerits of our Constitutional proposal.
- Regardless of the intent of some, the proposal should be judged only on its merits or demerits.
- ‘I do not intend to do so; it would be entirely inappropriate for me to engage in public debate on the merits or demerits of the Bill,’ he wrote.
2North American A mark awarded against someone for a fault or offence.Double demerits for speeding and seatbelt offences over the Easter period have been extended to 11 days to include the Anzac Day holiday weekend....
- Double demerits will be in force for all traffic offences this Anzac Day long weekend.
- The double demerit point system is going to be evaluated by the Office of Road Safety not too far down the track.
Derivatives
demeritorious
- Examples of demeritorious actions might include killing an animal, speaking abusively to another, or fanning the flames of our own jealousy at someone else's good fortune.
- Wrongful actions are designated in various ways as evil, unwholesome, demeritorious, or corrupt, and such deeds lead inevitably to a deeper entanglement in the process of suffering and rebirth.
- In a certain way, this is an occasion for optimism and good cheer because we are exhausting some of our store of demeritorious and obscuring karma.
Origin
Late Middle English (also in the sense 'merit'): from Old French desmerite or Latin demeritum 'something deserved', neuter past participle of demereri, from de- 'thoroughly' (also understood in medieval Latin as denoting reversal) + mereri 'to merit'.