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
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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
Lela London, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Buxton was named to the American League All-Star team on Sunday as the Twins’ lone representative with other deserving candidates like starter Joe Ryan and closer Jhoan Duran on the outside looking in.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 6 July 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
Memorable, inventive, and fully deserving of its place on the list, this one’s for the adventurous.
—Lela London, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Buxton was named to the American League All-Star team on Sunday as the Twins’ lone representative with other deserving candidates like starter Joe Ryan and closer Jhoan Duran on the outside looking in.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 6 July 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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The Most Beautiful Places in Arizona Poll launched last week, with 10 worthy contenders going head to head in a reader poll to determine the most stunning Arizona view everyone should see at least once.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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Four popular sequels then spawned another successful five-book series along with multiple other spinoffs still being published today, all culminating in what should have been a worthy onscreen adaptation that rivaled Harry Potter.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
22 July 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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While there’s no question that alleviating poverty is a meritorious pursuit, so too is funding the discovery of a technology that allows millions to live more comfortably 20 years from now.—
Omar Al-Ubaydli,
semafor.com,
16 July 2025
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Awards are given for meritorious activities in accreditation, continuing education, educational innovation, preuniversity education, service to the IEEE EAB, employee professional development, and related achievements that advance the practice of engineering and of engineering education.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 Dec. 2020
Adjective
-
The cocktails are classic and the wine list is so good that it's been lauded by Wine Spectator magazine.—
Keith Pandolfi,
The Enquirer,
31 July 2025
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Despite that, the Lyriq-V’s looks, comfort and features are as good as anything on the road.—
Mark Phelan,
Freep.com,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserving. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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