undeserving
adjective
un·de·serv·ing
ˌən-di-ˈzər-viŋ 
: not deserving: such as
a
: lacking merit : not worthy of praise, assistance, attention, etc.
selfish, undeserving people
The natural history of women's friendships is by no means a thin or undeserving subject.—
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver
b
: not deserving something specified
… circumstances of brutal outrage, of which poor Jean was in many respects wholly undeserving.—Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter ScottI do not mean to say that medicine is blameless … or undeserving of criticism.—Margaret Talbot
Margaret Talbot
undeservingly
adverb
Examples of undeserving in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The underlying justification for their mastery of this bountiful, beautiful semi-tropic place was the conviction that their predecessors — native Americans, Spanish, Mexican — were unappreciative and undeserving, unlike the grateful and energetic Yankee.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2022
More undeserving teams making October.
—Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 15 Sep. 2021
Scream 3 is often dealt a short shrift by series fans and critics alike, but the flack is largely undeserving.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2023
As the commotion died down, the small riverside community seemed an undeserving, even senseless, target of Russian rockets, as there were no signs of Ukrainian troops in the area.
—David Guttenfelder Oleksandr Chubko, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for undeserving 
Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2022
More undeserving teams making October.
—Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 15 Sep. 2021
Scream 3 is often dealt a short shrift by series fans and critics alike, but the flack is largely undeserving.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2023
As the commotion died down, the small riverside community seemed an undeserving, even senseless, target of Russian rockets, as there were no signs of Ukrainian troops in the area.
—David Guttenfelder Oleksandr Chubko, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for undeserving
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undeserving.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Undeserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undeserving. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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