Dictionary

unmerited en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌʌnˈmɛɹɪtɪd/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English merited English unmerited From un- + merited.

Meanings

1. Not merited.
   • Insurance company actuaries view the discounts as unmerited and unfair to other policyholders. Criminologists say there are better and quieter ways to protect cars. Economists argue that the alarms' benefits, if any, are far outweighed by their social costs. Vigilantes have made their point by attacking noisy cars with eggs and baseball bats. 1991 February 19, John Tierney, “Laws Encourage Car Alarms, But Din May Not Be Worth It”, in The New York Times:
   • Since then the bibliography on the central question it addressed—the relationship between nature and the absolutely unmerited destination of us to the face-to-face vision of God—has diminished considerably in volume. 1990 December 14, Joseph A. Komonchak, “Theology and Culture at Mid-Century: The Example of Henri de Lubac”, in Theological Studies, volume 51, number 4, →ISSN, pages 580–1:
   • She was tempted to leave him with his illusions. Something in her nature, however, caviled at this unmerited encomium. 1990, Elizabeth Thornton, The Worldly Widow, New York: Zebra, published 2005, →ISBN:

Forms

Deriveds

unmeritedly · unmeritedness

Translations (4)

bg незаслужен (not merited) · la immeritus (not merited) · es inmérito (not merited) · es inmerecido (not merited)