deserving
noun
de·serv·ing
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Definition of deserving
(Entry 1 of 2)
deserving
adjectiveDefinition of deserving (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: having good qualities that deserve praise, support, etc. : meritorious, worthy
rewarding deserving workers scholarships for deserving students
2
: appropriately having or being given something specified
—used with of a proposal deserving of support [=a proposal that deserves support]a criminal deserving of punishment
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Synonyms & Antonyms for deserving
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
no-good, undeserving, valueless, worthless
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Examples of deserving in a Sentence
Adjective
He's a very deserving young man. The church provides aid to deserving families.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
While the ceremony was created to honor some of the best NBA players in the game, there were a handful of ladies present with hair and makeup deserving of praise. — Jennifer Ford, Essence, "The Best Beauty Looks From The 2019 NBA Awards," 25 June 2019 That’s a question deserving of a review by the state’s legislative inspector general. — Kristen Mcqueary, chicagotribune.com, "Ties between lawmakers and the gambling industry? The IG should investigate.," 3 June 2019 Systemically, white women are seen as deserving of protection, whereas Black women are not. — Alexis Jones, Marie Claire, "R. Kelly Docuseries Reminds Us That Not All Stories of Sexual Assault Are Treated Equally," 11 Jan. 2019 Having individual agency is strongly connected to the idea of a meritocracy, where the deserving are granted rewards. — Jennifer Victor, Vox, "What good are elections, anyway?," 30 Oct. 2018 Although there is no doubt that both leading ladies are plenty deserving of the Emmy, many people were disappointed that Sandra didn't win. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Sandra Oh Didn't Win an Emmy Award Last Night and People Are Furious," 18 Sep. 2018 The Massachusetts bill signing had all the pomp deserving of a major piece of legislation. — Joshua Miller, BostonGlobe.com, "One thing missing from the ‘grand bargain’ bill signing? The grand bargainers," 28 June 2018 Whatever Bowen has done, and whatever infractions may have been committed during his recruitment, college basketball players are as deserving of due process as any other citizen. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "NCAA makes Brian Bowen seem a victim | Tim Sullivan," 30 May 2018 Supporters of Trump's efforts to crack down on would-be refugees agree that some are deserving of American goodwill. — Alan Gomez, USA TODAY, "Fewer Americans believe U.S. should accept refugees," 24 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
That production has produced talk that Toye could be deserving of a call-up to the U.S. men’s national team or its youth under-23 side. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "‘He loogied up and spit on me.’ Loons’ Mason Toye deals with his ‘distasteful’ act," 11 Aug. 2019 Given his performances this season, Bogaerts is hardly deserving of any criticism — even in spite of his base-running blunder. — Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, "Xander Bogaerts asserts his leadership to spark the Red Sox," 6 Aug. 2019 Waller-Bridge, with her exquisite comic timing and ace ability to convey grief and brokenness, is equally deserving. — Los Angeles Times, "Emmy predictions: ‘Barry,’ ‘Veep,’ ‘Maisel’ and ‘Fleabag’ fighting it out," 5 Aug. 2019 That strikes us as extreme and deserving of more attention. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "Why police violence needs to be treated as a public health issue," 14 Aug. 2019 In this story, the will to make a name for oneself is full of ego, deserving of punishment. — Cyrus Grace Dunham, The New Yorker, "A Year Without a Name," 12 Aug. 2019 But Kraft did stew, always believing Slayton was fit for a mission — and more than deserving of it after his heroically silent service. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, "How NASA's Chris Kraft Conducted the Symphony That Put Men on the Moon," 23 July 2019 Those children weren’t deserving of investigative attention because of their virtues. — Chandrima Chakraborty, Quartz India, "Canada’s indifference to the 1985 Air India bombing is disturbing," 24 June 2019 Are the immigrants more deserving than those who had no choice and truly sacrificed? — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Your Say: Election 2020 priorities," 2 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deserving.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for deserving
deserving
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of deserving
: having good qualities that deserve praise, support, etc.
—used to say that someone or something should have or be given something —+ of
See the full definition for deserving in the English Language Learners Dictionary
deserving
adjective
de·serv·ing
| \ di-ˈzər-viŋ
\
\
Kids Definition of deserving
: worthy sense 2
The scholarship will go to a deserving student.
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