unmerited
adjective
un·mer·it·ed ˌən-ˈmer-ə-təd 
-ˈme-rə-
: not adequately earned or deserved : not merited
an unmerited award
unmerited insults
unmerited criticism/praise
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Beyond that, President Biden’s attacks on the court are unmerited and dangerous. 
Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 30 June 2022 My personal trials have also taught me the value of unmerited suffering. Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 26 Apr. 2021 The good nap alights upon you like the grace of God: weightless, unmerited, spirit-altering. James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2020 JoJo is reminiscent of the donkey-saint in Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, a symbol of innocence, of unmerited suffering. Casey Gerald, The New York Review of Books, 7 Mar. 2020 The billboard ban legislation would slap yet another unfair — and unmerited — burden upon this new industry. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Jan. 2020 The hackneyed script has the effect of lending an unmerited nobility to the politicians and bureaucrats onscreen. David Klion, The New Republic, 12 Dec. 2019 Ignored for decades in New York and Tokyo, driven to madness, even plagiarized by less talented men, Ms. Kusama is enjoying a late and not unmerited surge in public visibility. Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2019 Mindless, unmerited loyalty to an openly corrupt being always struck me as a little too far-fetched. Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Oct. 2019 See More
Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 30 June 2022 My personal trials have also taught me the value of unmerited suffering. Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 26 Apr. 2021 The good nap alights upon you like the grace of God: weightless, unmerited, spirit-altering. James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2020 JoJo is reminiscent of the donkey-saint in Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, a symbol of innocence, of unmerited suffering. Casey Gerald, The New York Review of Books, 7 Mar. 2020 The billboard ban legislation would slap yet another unfair — and unmerited — burden upon this new industry. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Jan. 2020 The hackneyed script has the effect of lending an unmerited nobility to the politicians and bureaucrats onscreen. David Klion, The New Republic, 12 Dec. 2019 Ignored for decades in New York and Tokyo, driven to madness, even plagiarized by less talented men, Ms. Kusama is enjoying a late and not unmerited surge in public visibility. Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2019 Mindless, unmerited loyalty to an openly corrupt being always struck me as a little too far-fetched. Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Oct. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1581, in the meaning defined above
unmerited
adjective
as in unfair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- unfair
- undue
- undeserved
- unjustified
- unjust
- unwarranted
- irrelevant
- unjustifiable
- improper
- inappropriate
- unreasonable
- biased
- inapplicable
- unequal
- indefensible
- irrelative
- unsuitable
- inequitable
- incoherent
- incorrect
- partial
- inapt
- arbitrary
- despotic
- unlawful
- inapposite
- illegitimate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- due
- justified
- right
- rightful
- fair
- competent
- appropriate
- merited
- deserved
- just
- proper
- condign
- applicable
- suitable
- fitting
- warranted
- meet
- apt
- requisite
- legal
- legitimate
- fit
- lawful