as in justified
being what is called for by accepted standards of right and wrong
a well deserved promotion for a hard worker
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Recent Examples of deserved
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Anything less will keep the door wide open for the Pohlad family to be a lightning rod for criticism that is very much deserved.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2026
Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
While the criticism is well deserved, to its credit, the report does make a handful of astute observations that Democrats would be wise not to dismiss.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deserved
Adjective
Only our legal citizens should vote, and deserved welfare should go first to Americans in need and our veterans.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Anything less will keep the door wide open for the Pohlad family to be a lightning rod for criticism that is very much deserved.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
When investigators discovered that a doctor had supplied him with dangerous drugs and an assistant had helped facilitate that access, no one questioned that both deserved to be prosecuted.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
While the criticism is well deserved, to its credit, the report does make a handful of astute observations that Democrats would be wise not to dismiss.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deserved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserved
Adjective
-
While many agree that the bombing of Hiroshima was justified, there was no public outcry of genocide when the bomb fell on Nagasaki.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
-
There is a lot of excitement around AI in energy and some of it is justified.—
Gregory Shahnovsky,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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This rapid breakthrough, combined with early reforms such as releasing political prisoners and allowing a freer press, earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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Bianco earned a 1 percentage point increase, while Mahan and Porter lost 3 and 5 percentage points, respectively.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserved. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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