Benefit vs. Merit — What's the Difference?

An advantage or profit gained from something

Superior quality or worth; excellence

A payment made by the state or an insurance scheme to someone entitled to receive it

A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue

An event such as a concert or game that is intended to raise money for a particular player or charity

Demonstrated ability or achievement

Receive an advantage; profit

Often merits An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval

Something that promotes or enhances well-being; an advantage

In various religions, spiritual credit granted for good works.

Help; aid

(Law) The factors to be considered in making a substantive decision in a case, independent of procedural or technical aspects

A payment made by a government agency or insurance company to qualifying persons in time of need

The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.

A form of compensation, such as paid vacation time, subsidized health insurance, or a pension, provided to employees in addition to wages or salary as part of an employment arrangement. Also called fringe benefit.

To earn; deserve.

A public entertainment, performance, or social event held to raise funds for a person or cause.

To be worthy or deserving

(Archaic) A kindly deed.

(countable) A claim to commendation or a reward.

To be helpful or useful to.

(countable) A mark or token of approbation or to recognize excellence.

To derive benefit

Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward.

An advantage; help or aid from something.

The sum of all the good deeds that a person does which determines the quality of the person's next state of existence and contributes to the person's growth towards enlightenment.

(insurance) A payment made in accordance with an insurance policy or a public assistance scheme.

Usually in the plural form the merits: the substantive rightness or wrongness of a legal argument, a lawsuit, etc., as opposed to technical matters such as the admissibility of evidence or points of legal procedure; (by extension) the overall good or bad quality, or rightness or wrongness, of some other thing.

An event, such as a theatrical performance, given to raise funds for some cause.

The quality or state of deserving retribution, whether reward or punishment.

(obsolete) beneficence; liberality

(transitive) To deserve, to earn.

Intended audience (as for the benefit of).

(intransitive) To be deserving or worthy.

(transitive) To be or to provide a benefit to.

To reward.

(intransitive) To receive a benefit (from); to be a beneficiary.

The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.

An act of kindness; a favor conferred.

The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.

Whatever promotes prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value to property; advantage; profit.

Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.

A theatrical performance, a concert, or the like, the proceeds of which do not go to the lessee of the theater or to the company, but to some individual actor, or to some charitable use.

To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.

Beneficence; liberality.

To reward.

Natural advantages; endowments; accomplishments.

To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit.

To be beneficial to; to do good to; to advantage; to advance in health or prosperity; to be useful to; to profit.

Any admirable quality or attribute;

To gain advantage; to make improvement; to profit; as, he will benefit by the change.

The quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance);

Financial assistance in time of need

Be worthy or deserving;

Something that aids or promotes well-being;

A performance to raise money for a charitable cause

Derive a benefit from;

Be beneficial for;