meritedlyadv.
/ˈmɛrᵻtᵻdli/, U.S. /ˈmɛrədədli/ Now rare .
As deserved; deservedly.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [adverb] > deservedly
righteouslya1382
worthilyc1405
condignlyc1450
meritorilyc1503
gradely?1521
deservedly1548
deservingly1552
deservably1593
desertfully1601
meritoriously1607
meritedly1638
justly1849
1638 T. Heywood Porta Pietatis sig. C2 I will onely conferre that Character, which being long since..conferr'd upon the Father, I cannot but now meritedly bestow upon the Sonnes.
1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 95 Meritedly therefore, they desire an equal share of Liberty.
1857 R. Hooper in G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads Introd. p. viii Many of these were of mushroom growth, and have meritedly sunk into oblivion.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1638