deserving

1 of 2

noun

de·​serv·​ing di-ˈzər-viŋ 

: desert, merit

reward the proud according to their deservings

—Charles Kingsley

deserving

2 of 2

adjective

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

deservingly adverb

deservingness noun

Synonyms

Adjective

• good
• meritorious
• worthy

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

The 2023 list welcomed the new pop-up restaurants and cocktail bars that have transformed the local dining economy into one that is exciting and full of fresh talent deserving of recognition. —Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024

Hindu nationalists exaggerate these instances of iconoclasm and identify contemporary Muslims, who are an economically weak and socially disadvantaged minority, with rulers from the distant past, portraying them as oppressors and deserving of retribution. —Supriya Gandhi, Foreign Affairs, 13 July 2020

Adjective

Or is that moniker more deserving of linebacker Fred Warner? —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024

Candidates who reflect the Aristotelian mean, however, are the most trustworthy and deserving. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English deserving, deservinge, from gerund of deserven "to deserve"

Adjective

from present participle of deserve

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

deserving

adjective

de·​serv·​ing

di-ˈzər-viŋ

: worthy entry 1 sense 2

especially : worthy of financial help

aid for deserving families