Excellence
Excellence noun - A quality that gives something special worth.
Usage example: the particular excellence of down in clothing and sleeping bags is its lightness
Merit is a synonym for excellence in distinction topic. In some cases you can use "Merit" instead a noun "Excellence", when it comes to topics like quality, good, dignity, eminence. popular alternative
Merit
Merit noun - A quality that gives something special worth.
Usage example: this mystery novel at least has the merit of an original plot
Excellence is a synonym for merit in worth topic. You can use "Excellence" instead a noun "Merit", if it concerns topics such as quality, good, dignity, distinction. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
- Some got their wish of Excellence, but most had to live with the fact they got Merit and spent $26 per paper to confirm it!
Source: The B Grade -
In New Zealand, grades under the NCEA system at high school are N, A, M, and E (Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Excellence), with N being the fail grade and the rest being passing grades.
Source: F-- - Following the 2012 NCEA secondary school exams in New Zealand, nearly 7,000 students sent their exam papers back for reconsideration because they got Merit (B) instead of Excellence (A).
Source: The B Grade
Cite this Source
Merit and Excellence. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/excellence/merit
Excellence & Merit. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/excellence/merit>.
Merit or Excellence. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/excellence/merit.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "excellence" and "merit" have occurred on timeline