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
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2025
Best Revival of a Play Eureka Day Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
Yellow Face
Who Will Win
Eureka Day, a satire about a school board and vaccination, is timely, funny and deserving of this award.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
PCMAG, 23 Feb. 2025
There are myriad factors for this season’s likely outcome and achievements in both camps that are deserving of acclaim; good signings, good coaching, good decisions at the right moment.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserving
Adjective
Aligoté Incredibly versatile and deserving of more love, according to Dunn, this French find is also extremely food-friendly.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2025
Best Revival of a Play Eureka Day Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
Yellow Face
Who Will Win
Eureka Day, a satire about a school board and vaccination, is timely, funny and deserving of this award.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Verb
Still, the Lexar Professional Go With Hub provides an effective solution for iPhone videographers who want to record 4K ProRes video with high frame rates without swamping precious device memory, and is deserving of our highest recommendation.
—PCMAG, 23 Feb. 2025
There are myriad factors for this season’s likely outcome and achievements in both camps that are deserving of acclaim; good signings, good coaching, good decisions at the right moment.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserving
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserving
Adjective
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Whether you’re headed to Fairhope or a bit further to the Gulf Coast, Allegri Farm Market is a worthy pit stop just off highway 181.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
29 June 2025
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For nature lovers, Le Morne Brabant, the famous peak just across the bay from the resort, and the Black River Gorges National Park are worthy day trip options for some light hiking and taking in the island's legendary sights.—
Julie Olum,
Travel + Leisure,
29 June 2025
Verb
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The governor’s plan would make pre-K free for families earning up to $100,000 a year, and $20 a day for those earning up to $150,000.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2025
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Two weeks later, Payne carried the Lancers to a championship in La Jolla’s Beach City Invitational, earning the tournament’s MVP for middles.—
Tim Meehan SD,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Its Lifetime Achievement and other meritorious award recipients will be named later.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
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His 35-year career has been recognized in more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com/IdentityTheft 10.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 July 2025
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But maybe, in an odd way, the timing is good, given the looming July 31 trade deadline.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserving. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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