deserving
/dɪˈzɜːvɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈzɜːrvɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈzər-viŋ/ (ame, mw)
deserving — adjective
- deservingpositive
- more deservingcomparative
- most deservingsuperlative
1. showing qualities that make a person, group, or cause worth supporting, helping,
showing qualities that make a person, group, or cause worth supporting, helping, or rewarding
The committee chose Layla for the scholarship because she was a hard-working and deserving student.
attributive: a deserving + [person noun]
Local charities help deserving families pay for school uniforms and winter coats each year.
collocation: deserving family / cause / candidate
Arjun spent hours sorting donations to make sure the food reached the most deserving households.
Mayor Indra promised that public funding would reach the schools and clinics most deserving of help.
- worthy
near-synonym; slightly more formal and often used with 'of'
- meritorious
formal; emphasizes earned recognition rather than need
- needy
narrower; only for people in financial or social hardship, not for causes
- undeserving
direct opposite; can sound harsh and judgmental
- unworthy
broader; implies failing a moral or quality standard
文法句型
a deserving + noun
be deserving
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person, group, family, cause, or institution viewed as morally worthy of help, not just lucky or talented. Distinguish from sense 2, which takes an explicit complement with 'of' and names what someone has earned.
常見錯誤
2. having done or shown something that makes a specific reward, praise, or punishme
having done or shown something that makes a specific reward, praise, or punishment appropriate
After leading the rescue team through the storm, Antonia was deserving of every award she later received.
predicative: be deserving of + [reward noun]
The judge said the driver's reckless behaviour was deserving of a long prison sentence.
deserving of + [punishment noun]
Chiara's quiet patience with the younger children was deserving of much more praise than she ever got.
Critic Élise wrote that few modern films are truly deserving of the word 'masterpiece'.
- worthy of
very close in meaning; slightly less formal
- entitled to
stronger; implies a right, not just having earned it
- merits
verb alternative; 'merits a long sentence' for 'deserving of a long sentence'
- unworthy of
direct opposite in the same 'of'-frame
文法句型
deserving of + [reward / punishment / praise]
用法筆記
Always followed by 'of' plus the thing earned (reward, punishment, praise, attention). Distinguish from sense 1, which has no 'of' complement and labels someone broadly worthy of help, not a specific outcome.
常見錯誤
deserving — noun
1. the reward or punishment that a person has earned through their actions; merit t
the reward or punishment that a person has earned through their actions; merit treated as something owed
In Pastor Leo's sermon, each soul was said to receive a fate measured by its own deserving.
literary / religious register
Sivan argued that pay should match a worker's deserving, not their family connections.
abstract noun: someone's deserving = what they have earned
Judge Haruto cited an old rule that punishment must never exceed the criminal's actual deserving.
Justin spoke of justice as treating each citizen strictly according to their deserving.
文法句型
according to one's deserving
用法筆記
Very rare in modern English; mostly literary, religious, or historical-legal. In everyday speech, 'what someone deserves' or 'just deserts' replaces this noun. Almost always uncountable and possessed (someone's deserving).