as in worthy
having sufficient worth or merit to receive one's honor, esteem, or reward
gifts donated to deserving children every Christmas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in earning
to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment)
the team really deserved that victory after the way they played
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deserving
Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
The failures of the production stood out all the more as the awards themselves went to some truly deserving winners.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
That’s not the same as deserving to win.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserving
Adjective
Certainly, Barantini was a deserving winner, but man — that was an awkward segue.
—Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
The failures of the production stood out all the more as the awards themselves went to some truly deserving winners.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
Here are some of the products Berkley and company talked up on the livestream, deserving prime real estate on your bathroom counter and inside your makeup bag.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
That’s not the same as deserving to win.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserving
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserving
Adjective
-
The Little Drummer Girl (2018), played supernatural baddie Randall Flagg in The Stand (2020–2021), and gave the Roy dynasty a worthy foe on Succession (2021–2023).—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
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There is, however, no shortage of worthy scientific advances from which the Nobel Prize committees can pick.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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More recent parody country music songs have pushed Hays to the top of the Spotify and Apple Music charts, earning her in all nearly five million followers and over three billion social media platform views.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere, actors like Anne Hathaway have admitted to struggling career-wise after earning the ire of social media.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
No meritorious credit will be granted.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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MacVean, who lived in Point Loma for nearly 50 years, was lauded for his work, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal on two occasions for meritorious service.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Kerzka and the others did their best to comfort them, to bandage small wounds; the most critically injured were already at the hospital.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
5 Oct. 2025
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But in one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt so far, Zubimendi quickly went about making a difference.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserving. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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