meritoriousnessn.
/ˌmɛrᵻˈtɔːrɪəsnəs/, U.S. /ˌmɛrəˈtɔriəsnəs/ The state or quality of being meritorious (in various senses).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > merit > [noun]
earningOE
meritc1230
meeda1387
ablenessa1425
meedfulness1530
meriting1549
desert1563
deservednessa1628
deservingness1631
meritoriousness1639
premiability1675
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > grace > merit > [noun] > quality
meritoriousness1639
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iii. x. 125 These murderers being instantly put to death, gloried in the meritoriousnesse of their suffering.
1671 R. Baxter How Far Holinesse xliii. 12 The satisfactoriness and meritoriousness of the Death or Sacrifice of Christ.
a1708 W. Beveridge Thes. Theologicus (1711) III. 244 The reality and meritoriousness of Christ's death and Passion.
1789 J. Bentham Introd. Princ. Morals & Legisl. xi. p. cxxxix Thus much with respect to the circumstances from which the mischievousness or meritoriousness of a man's disposition is to be inferred in the gross.
1884 A. R. Pennington Wiclif viii. 271 The study of the works of that holy man..led him..to oppose the meritoriousness of good works.
1890 Catholic World July 530 Whether you decorate your coat, or..your visiting-cards, the idea is..of a bit of exterior dignity tacked on to your interior meritoriousness.
1988 18th-cent. Stud. 22 194 If works are considered the ‘prerequisite’..of salvation, then denying their theoretical meritoriousness from a divine standpoint has little effect on the Christian life.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1639