# merits

Pronunciation: say "MER-its" /ˈmɛɹ.ɪts/

## Noun

1. Plural of merit. — plural of merit
   - Simple: Plural of merit. Use this form when talking about more than one good quality or strong point.
   - _The committee debated the relative merits of the two proposals._
   - _Each candidate brought distinct merits to the role._
2. The intrinsic advantages of something, as opposed to advantages gained through politics or procedure.
   - Simple: The real strengths of something itself, not advantages from politics or how things are done.
   - _The board insisted on choosing the contractor strictly on its merits._
   - _Stripped of all the lobbying, the proposal still stood on its merits._
4. The substance of a legal matter, as distinguished from questions of form or procedure.
   - Simple: The real facts and issues of a legal case, not the rules or steps used to handle it.
   - _The appeal was dismissed on procedural grounds, so the merits were never argued._
   - _Counsel urged the tribunal to decide the dispute on its merits._

## Verb

3. Third-person singular simple present indicative of merit. — third-person singular simple present indicative of merit
   - Simple: Third-person singular present of merit. Use this form with he, she, or it.
   - _This finding merits further investigation by the research team._
   - _The argument merits a serious response, not a quick dismissal._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/merits (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).