de·serv·ing
di-ˈzər-viŋ 
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
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
Fred Nadis, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024
The Christie’s sale this week may not have matched that impressive total, but the Crosby-Schøyen Codex is a manuscript deserving of its multimillion-dollar price tag—though some may say owning one of the earliest books in existence is simply priceless.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 12 June 2024
Noel Brennan, CBS News, 17 July 2024
As always, there wasn't enough room on the American League and National League rosters for every deserving candidate.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 8 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for deserving 
Noun
A little over a century later, Leicester asserted that the Guano Islands Act made his raft a legitimate island deserving of U.S. protection.
—Fred Nadis, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024
The Christie’s sale this week may not have matched that impressive total, but the Crosby-Schøyen Codex is a manuscript deserving of its multimillion-dollar price tag—though some may say owning one of the earliest books in existence is simply priceless.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 12 June 2024
Adjective
The men and their families are all very deserving of acknowledgment and exoneration.
—Noel Brennan, CBS News, 17 July 2024
As always, there wasn't enough room on the American League and National League rosters for every deserving candidate.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 8 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for deserving
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deserving.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deserving
Cite this Entry
“Deserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deserving. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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