merited
v. B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈmɛɹɪtɪd// UK //mˈɛɹɪtɪd// mer·it·ed
v. deserving of something, like praise, a reward, or a punishment. You use this when someone has done something that makes them worthy of a specific result.
v. deserving of a particular treatment, reward, or punishment. Often used in formal or academic contexts to justify a specific outcome based on prior actions.
The team's hard work merited a promotion.
The judge ruled that the defendant's actions merited a harsher sentence than the standard guidelines suggested.
While the initial proposal was met with skepticism, the subsequent data proved that the investment merited the risk taken by the board of directors.