Meredith Grey is the leading lady of the long-running popular medical drama, Grey's Anatomy. Considering the series has been on television now for 16 seasons and counting, Meredith has had quite a small number of suitors during that period. This is mainly because she dated Derek Shepherd for almost 11 seasons.

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However, in Season 11, Derek tragically passed away after being involved in a car crash. It was a while before Mer was ready to start dating again, but she had to move on eventually. Although she and McDreamy were "meant to be," there were othercharacters within the showwho could have been good for Meredith.

Honestly, after he got passed his womanizing ways, Mark could have been with anyone. He seemed to have chemistry with all of the main cast, and was just fun to watch. Most of the time, Markbrought out the silly side of people, which Mer definitely needed.

In the old days, Meredith was quite dark and twisty, and Mark could have helped her enjoy her life. After all, Mark wasn't just a goofball; he had a surprisingly sensitive side, which Meredith would have appreciated.

Nathan Riggs was one of Grey's Anatomy's short-running characters as he appeared for just over two seasons. However, during his short stint on the show, he made quite a big impact. He was one of the first people who Mer took an interest in after Derek died.

Riggs was Owen Hunt's ex-best friend, so initially Meredith tried to avoid him. However, he pursued her and their flirtation was just utterly hilarious and adorable. It was no surprise that they finally got together, but if only they had stayed that way...

This might be quite a controversial entry as these two werephenomenal as friends. When Cristina Yang left in Season 10 to go to Switzerland, Meredith was in need of a new person. Perhaps not surprisingly, Alex Karev stepped up to the plate.

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Alex was there for Meredith as her person for over five years, and the two became incredibly close. There were some fans who wondered what Alex and Mer would be like as a couple and really, it would have been kind of awesome.

Jackson Avery first appeared in Season 6, after Seattle Grace Hospital merged with Mercy West. Initially, he rubbed the original residents the wrong way, but he soon settled down and became arespectable surgeon and a fairly decent guy.

Meredith and Jackson actually have quite a lot in common as they'rerelated totwo world-renowned genius surgeons. Slightly more unfortunately is that they both know what having work-obsessed families is like, but at least they could bond over that.

Nick Marsh is quite a fantastic character as fans were desperate for him to return to the show as Meredith's love interest after appearing in only one episode. Nick was a transplant surgeon who collapsed after a surgery, requiring Meredith to perform it.

Before the operation, he and Meredith bonded by his bedside, and they had such a lovely chat. They had buckets of chemistry, and Nick was a key factor in Meredith realizing that she was ready to date again. The show should really bring Nick back and gethim and Meredith together properly.

Although Tom Koracick has gotten a whole lot more unlikable during Season 16 of Grey's Anatomy, when he first arrived back in the show's fourteenth season, he was quite a fun character to be around. He didn't mind being unpopular, and he was never afraid to say what he thought.

In many ways, Meredith is very similar to Tom. She always does what she thinks is right, damned be the consequences. If she can help someone, she will, but she doesn't always think about how her actions affect others. Together, Tom and Mer could help reineach other in.

George O'Malley had an unrequited crush on Meredith for the first two seasons of the medical drama, which endedwhen Meredithcried after they had sex together. However, this isn't the George that would be a good fit for Mer.

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In Season 5, Owen Hunt remarked that George was becoming a fine trauma surgeon. He was able to stay calm and think rationally, and make tough choices in a split second. George became more confident and knew what he wanted, and this version would bequite compatible with Meredith.

Derek Shepherdwas a brilliant surgeon and an adoring husband and father. It's no wonder that Meredith struggled to move on after he died. However, Derek was by no means perfect. He could be petty, moody and boy, could he hold a grudge.

He did care about Meredith deeply, but not always enough to consider her needs above his own. Andrew DeLuca may be many things, but he has always cared about Meredith. He even went to jail for her after she committed fraud, which Derek would have never done.

Link was only introduced in Season 15, and at first, he seemed to only exist as competition for Mer's affections. Both he and DeLuca asked Meredith out, which formed a weird sort of love trianglethat noone quite bought into.

However, Link did start to become more three-dimensional after he started dating Amelia. If that version had gone after Meredith, maybe he would have stood a better chance. Link was an absolute sweetheart, but he also knew how to handle a little bit of crazy, which Mer sometimes needs.

If there is one person in the entire Grey's Anatomy universe that Meredith should have been with more than Derek, it's Cristina Yang. They were only ever friends in the show, but imagine what they would have been like together if they had developed feelings for each other.

They would have made for a veryshipworthy couple. Not to mention the fact that they would always be there for each other while remaining sensible enough to offer up a few home truths every now and then.

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Ben Pettitt is a recent English graduate of the University of Nottingham. He loves to write, read and watch Netflix. This is one of the reasons why he decided to come and display his knowledge of pop culture as a writer for Screen Rant.

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Grey's Anatomy: 10 People Meredith Should Have Been With (Other Than Derek) - Screen Rant