de·serv·ing
di-ˈzər-viŋ 
1
: having good qualities that deserve praise, support, etc. : meritorious, worthy
rewarding deserving workers
scholarships for deserving students
2
: appropriately having or being given something specified
—used with of
a proposal deserving of support [=a proposal that deserves support]
a criminal deserving of punishment
deservingly
adverb
deservingness
noun
Examples of deserving in a Sentence
Adjective
He's a very deserving young man.
The church provides aid to deserving families.
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2025
Prosecutors have never said publicly what came of those reviews, but emails from the new lead prosecutor included as exhibits in the recent court filings indicate the government did not consider Haas or Cantú deserving of a reduction in charges.
—Alex Riggins, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist A strong category with multiple deserving winners, notably Ralph Fiennes in Conclave and Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserving
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Noun
Of course, this is no small achievement as the category is populated with many of the best artists in the business, each deserving of recognition.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2025
Prosecutors have never said publicly what came of those reviews, but emails from the new lead prosecutor included as exhibits in the recent court filings indicate the government did not consider Haas or Cantú deserving of a reduction in charges.
—Alex Riggins, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
So are several other deserving members of the Super Bowl 50 team, including Kuechly, Olsen, Davis, Stewart and Kalil.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist A strong category with multiple deserving winners, notably Ralph Fiennes in Conclave and Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserving
Cite this Entry
“Deserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deserving. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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