n.
- A quality or characteristic deserving of blame or censure; a fault.
- Absence of merit.
- A mark made against one's record for a fault or for misconduct.
[Middle English demerite, offense, from Old French desmerite, from Latin dēmeritum, from neuter past participle of dēmerēre, to deserve : dē-, de- + merēre, to earn.]
demeritorious de·mer'i·to'ri·ous (-tôr'ē-əs, -tōr'-) adj.demeritoriously de·mer'i·to'ri·ous·ly adv.





