Demerit
noun
A point or mark against someone's record for bad behavior.
He got three demerits for coming late to the meeting.
Often appears as...
- earn a demerit
- give someone a demerit
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A quality of something that is not good or a disadvantage.
The main demerit of the plan is its cost.
Often appears as...
- demerit of a plan
- demerit of a system
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A point or mark against someone's record for bad behavior.
He got three demerits for coming late to the meeting.
Often appears as...
- earn a demerit
- give someone a demerit
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A quality of something that is not good or a disadvantage.
The main demerit of the plan is its cost.
Often appears as...
- demerit of a plan
- demerit of a system
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Behavioral Context
Used in educational and military settings to note bad behavior or rule violations.
He received a demerit for not wearing his uniform properly.
Pro Tip 2/3Consequence of Accumulation
Multiple demerits can lead to serious consequences, such as suspension.
Accumulating ten demerits could result in being suspended from school.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Confusions
Don't confuse 'demerit' with 'demerit point;' they can mean different things.
While a demerit is a mark of bad conduct, a demerit point specifically relates to driving offenses.
Compare with
conndefectdisadvantagedraw backflawimperfectionshortcomingweak
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Video examples
Respect Your Elders PIPE...
Daiichi 200 demerit issued at the core that I like them arrested more coffee they take these nails out of this guy cut them off again stabbed this should be taken off here
Video examples
Respect Your Elders PIPE...
Daiichi 200 demerit issued at the core that I like them arrested more coffee they take these nails out of this guy cut them off again stabbed this should be taken off here
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Akhil Sharma
Indian Author
I had written a book. For various reasons, the publishing industry had decided that my book was going to be 'important.' The novel had taken me 12-and-a-half years to write, and after being with the book for so long, I had no real perspective on the merits or demerits of what I had written. I hoped it was good, but feared that it wasn't.
Quote examples
William Wyler
American Director
I'm accused constantly of having 'no signature.' That's the big artistic demerit. You can't tell a Wyler film from another man's film just by looking at it.
Quote examples
Sallust
Roman Historian
Distinguished ancestors shed a powerful light on their descendants, and forbid the concealment either of their merits or of their demerits.
Quote examples
Frances Wright
Scottish Writer
A necessary consequent of religious belief is the attaching ideas of merit to that belief, and of demerit to its absence.
Quote examples
Donella Meadows
American Environmentalist
You should issue demerits for tree cutting or the destruction of humus.
Quote examples
Akhil Sharma
Indian Author
I had written a book. For various reasons, the publishing industry had decided that my book was going to be 'important.' The novel had taken me 12-and-a-half years to write, and after being with the book for so long, I had no real perspective on the merits or demerits of what I had written. I hoped it was good, but feared that it wasn't.
Quote examples
William Wyler
American Director
I'm accused constantly of having 'no signature.' That's the big artistic demerit. You can't tell a Wyler film from another man's film just by looking at it.
Quote examples
Sallust
Roman Historian
Distinguished ancestors shed a powerful light on their descendants, and forbid the concealment either of their merits or of their demerits.
Quote examples
Frances Wright
Scottish Writer
A necessary consequent of religious belief is the attaching ideas of merit to that belief, and of demerit to its absence.
Quote examples
Donella Meadows
American Environmentalist
You should issue demerits for tree cutting or the destruction of humus.
Example 1 of 5
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