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
William Jones, USA Today, 25 July 2025
More Antonio Masiello/Getty Images Regarding that deserved disrepute, the specifics of this new raid are startling.
—Steve Cortes, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
The chatter in the fan base about whether or not Ben deserved his fate was the loudest in terms of a response to any of season one’s plot points.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserved
Adjective
But there’s another aspect of military life that rarely gets deserved attention: the relentless cycle of relocation.
—William Jones, USA Today, 25 July 2025
More Antonio Masiello/Getty Images Regarding that deserved disrepute, the specifics of this new raid are startling.
—Steve Cortes, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Verb
Fleetwood’s victory was well earned and well deserved.
—Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
The chatter in the fan base about whether or not Ben deserved his fate was the loudest in terms of a response to any of season one’s plot points.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserved
Adjective
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Efficient, neat, always available as a means of compensating for her (completely justified) fear of not being a brilliant enough copywriter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
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And this is only the energy aspect, water and land use further add to the cluster of justified environmental concern.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Velasco's wife, a teacher who earned her doctorate alongside him, pushed him to change his approach.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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The scene touched the hearts of viewers and earned rave reviews from critics.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserved. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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