A quality of being inadequate; a fault; a disadvantage / A mark given for bad conduct to a person attending an educational institution or serving in the army.

(transitive, archaic) To deserve. / (transitive, archaic) To depreciate or cry down.

plural of demerit

simple past tense and past participle of demerit

present participle of demerit

(law) A point subtracted from a person's driver's license upon conviction of a driving offense, the accumulation of which may lead to additional penalties and/or loss of driving privileges.

plural of demerit point

(economics) A good that brings less benefit to the consumer the more it is consumed, which may be unexpected, potentially leading to an overconsumption in the free market, e.g. tobacco.