unmerited

adjective

Definition of unmeritednext
as in undeserved

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unmerited There’s barely a line of dialogue from any secondary character that doesn’t sound ripped from Twitter — not unmerited, just fatiguing. — Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026 Amin had a penchant for strutting around in public wearing a military jacket full of flashy but unmerited awards. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026 Lest you be concerned, there's no unmerited nepotism here. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025 Aimee Zavala, a twenty-nine-year-old who left the area around this time, believed that the police response was unmerited. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 Now, half a century ago, Congress realized that Social Security benefit windfalls for public sector employees were costly, unnecessary and unmerited. — Andrew Biggs, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024 Some have claimed that the cuts are unmerited, given that culture funding accounts for just over 2 percent of Berlin city budget. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmerited
  1. undeserved
  2. unfair
  3. undue
  4. unjust
  5. unjustified
  6. unwarranted
Adjective
  • Pete Davidson is either the luckiest man in Hollywood or a guy cursed with an undeserved bad rap.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Lexie isn't out giving a team that is playing well any undeserved attention for doing so.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of undeserved
Adjective
  • In recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair and undermine the net benefits for Canada, and called into question the reliability of any deal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • And many of the 1970s nationalization of most major oil companies holdings in oil exporting nations were partly due to the sense that the original concession agreements were unfair.
    — Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfair
Adjective
  • The Wiener Werkstätte’s undue obscurity may have something to do with not only those epistolary expressions of skepticism by the founding fathers of the Frankfurt School, but also Hoffmann’s latter-day Nazism, which in this show goes unmentioned.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • But with that slice of luck came a sudden outburst of responsibility from Brook, who then scored at almost a run a ball but did so sensibly and without taking any undue risks.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of undue
Adjective
  • These girls make mistakes and learn lessons while living in unfair, unequal and unjust societies in need of change.
    — Tara Strauch, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Rodriguez hopes voters connect instead with his vision for the office — one of an attorney general who takes on unjust landlords and multimillion-dollar corporations, especially those in the insurance and utility industries.
    — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of unjust
Adjective
  • However, some observers warned that hype for a hike is unjustified.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Dockworkers are blocking weapons shipments, asserting the right to conscientious objection as a means of protection from unjustified charges and disciplinary action.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of unjustified
Adjective
  • Last year, the panel also made several unwarranted changes to vaccine recommendations, including dropping the universal recommendation for a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine—a move widely decried by medical and health experts.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • At 79, Levy has been pleased to discover that often his discomfort is unwarranted.
    — Matthew Jacobs, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of unwarranted

Browse Nearby Words

unmercifully
unmerited
unmindful
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unmerited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmerited. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All