Credit vs. Merit — What's the Difference?

Belief or faith in something or someone.

A system of recognizing excellence in performance.

An entry recording a sum received.

(countable) A mark or token of approbation or to recognize excellence.

Credit (from Latin credit, "(he/she/it) believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but promises either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date. In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and extensible to a large group of unrelated people.

Something deserving or worthy of positive recognition or reward.

An arrangement for deferred payment of a loan or purchase

The quality of being worthy or deserving.

The terms governing such an arrangement

A commendable quality or act.

The time allowed for deferred payment

A virtue that justifies a reward or commendation.

The deduction of a payment made by a debtor from an amount due.

Superior quality or worth; excellence

The positive balance or amount remaining in a person's account.

A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue

A credit line.

Demonstrated ability or achievement

Reputation for solvency and integrity entitling a person to be trusted in buying or borrowing

Often merits An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval

Official certification or recognition that a student has successfully completed a course of study

In various religions, spiritual credit granted for good works.

A unit of study so certified

(Law) The factors to be considered in making a substantive decision in a case, independent of procedural or technical aspects

Often credits An acknowledgment of work done, as in the production of a motion picture or publication

The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.

Influence based on the good opinion or confidence of others

To earn; deserve.

Recognition or approval for an act, ability, or quality

To be worthy or deserving

A source of honor or distinction

(countable) A claim to commendation or a reward.

A reputation for sound character or quality; standing

The sum of all the good deeds that a person does which determines the quality of the person's next state of existence and contributes to the person's growth towards enlightenment.

Belief or confidence in the truth of something

Usually in the plural form the merits: the substantive rightness or wrongness of a legal argument, a lawsuit, etc., as opposed to technical matters such as the admissibility of evidence or points of legal procedure; (by extension) the overall good or bad quality, or rightness or wrongness, of some other thing.

To give as a credit

The quality or state of deserving retribution, whether reward or punishment.

To give a credit to

(transitive) To deserve, to earn.

To give or award an educational credit to.

(intransitive) To be deserving or worthy.

To regard as having performed an action or being endowed with a quality

To reward.

To ascribe or attribute

The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.

(Archaic) To bring honor or distinction to.

The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.

(transitive) To believe; to put credence in. British usage?

Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.

To add to an account.

To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.

(transitive) To acknowledge the contribution of.

To reward.

(transitive) To bring honour or repute upon; to do credit to; to raise the estimation of.

To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit.

Reliance on the truth of something said or done; faith; trust.

Any admirable quality or attribute;

(uncountable) Recognition, respect and admiration.

The quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance);

(countable) Acknowledgement of a contribution, especially in the performing arts.

Be worthy or deserving;

Written titles and other information about the TV program or movie shown at the beginning and/or end of the TV program or movie.

Inherent excellence or worth.

A privilege of delayed payment extended to a buyer or borrower on the seller's or lender's belief that what is given will be repaid.

The time given for payment for something sold on trust.

A person's credit rating or creditworthiness, as represented by their history of borrowing and repayment (or non payment).

(accounting) An addition to certain accounts; the side of an account on which payments received are entered.

(tax accounting) A reduction in taxes owed, or a refund for excess taxes paid.

A source of value, distinction or honour.

(science fiction) A unit of currency used in a fictional universe or timeframe.

A nominal unit of value assigned outside of a currency system.

(uncountable) Recognition for having taken a course (class).

(countable) A course credit, a credit hour – used as measure if enough courses have been taken for graduation.

Reliance on the truth of something said or done; belief; faith; trust; confidence.

Reputation derived from the confidence of others; esteem; honor; good name; estimation.

A ground of, or title to, belief or confidence; authority derived from character or reputation.

That which tends to procure, or add to, reputation or esteem; an honor.

Influence derived from the good opinion, confidence, or favor of others; interest.

Trust given or received; expectation of future playment for property transferred, or of fulfillment or promises given; mercantile reputation entitling one to be trusted; - applied to individuals, corporations, communities, or nations; as, to buy goods on credit.

The time given for payment for lands or goods sold on trust; as, a long credit or a short credit.

The side of an account on which are entered all items reckoned as values received from the party or the category named at the head of the account; also, any one, or the sum, of these items; - the opposite of debit; as, this sum is carried to one's credit, and that to his debit; A has several credits on the books of B.

To confide in the truth of; to give credence to; to put trust in; to believe.

To bring honor or repute upon; to do credit to; to raise the estimation of.

To enter upon the credit side of an account; to give credit for; as, to credit the amount paid; to set to the credit of; as, to credit a man with the interest paid on a bond.

Approval;

Money available for a client to borrow

An accounting entry acknowledging income or capital items

Used in the phrase `to your credit' in order to indicate an achievement deserving praise;

Arrangement for deferred payment for goods and services

Recognition by a college or university that a course of studies has been successfully completed; typically measured in semester hours

A short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage;

An entry on a list of persons who contributed to a film or written work

Give someone credit for something;

Give credit for;

Accounting: enter as credit;

Have trust in; trust in the truth or veracity of

Trust given to another party for future repayment.

Recognition for an accomplishment.

A set value earned towards academic completion.

It means one has a positive financial history, making them trustworthy to lenders.

Yes, a student can receive "Credit" for completing a course and "Merit" for excellence in performance.

It's a numerical representation of a person's creditworthiness based on their credit history.

Yes, if one individual's contributions were pivotal, they can be given "Credit."

Yes, objects can possess "Merit" based on their inherent value or quality.

Not necessarily. Achievements can be recognized, but their inherent value determines "Merit."

Typically, no. "Credit" usually pertains to finance, while "Merit" indicates worthiness or value.

Yes, sometimes people receive credit for things they haven't done.

No, it's based on "Merit," where power is vested in individuals based on talent and ability.

Mostly, but in finance, having too much credit debt can be negative.

It's subjective and can be based on craftsmanship, impact, originality, and other factors.

In finance, no. Credit is built over time. However, one can metaphorically "buy" recognition or favor, though it's ethically questionable.

Often yes, as what has "Merit" to one person might not to another.

By demonstrating consistent value, reliability, and excellence in your tasks.

Yes, businesses can have credit lines, credit scores, and receive credit for achievements.