deserving

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzɝvɪŋ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzɜːvɪŋ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)vɪŋ
• Hyphenation: de‧serv‧ing

Adjective

deserving (comparative more deserving, superlative most deserving)

1. worthy of reward or praise; meritorious

   the deserving poor

2. meriting, worthy (reward, punishment etc.)
   • 1941 September, “Notes and News: The London & Blackwall Cable Railway”, in Railway Magazine, pages 424–425:

     In the midst of a world war many centenaries pass unnoticed, but one which fell on August 2, namely, the opening of Fenchurch Street station, is deserving of record.

Antonyms

• undeserving

Derived terms

• undeserving

Translations

worthy of reward or praise

• Bulgarian: похвален (bg) (pohvalen), достоен (bg) (dostoen)
• Dutch: loffelijk (nl)
• Latin: dignus (la)
• Norman: méthitouaithe
• Tagalog: tampat
• Ukrainian: схва́льний (sxválʹnyj), гі́дний (hídnyj)

meriting, worthy

• Bulgarian: заслужаващ (bg) (zaslužavašt)
• Catalan: mereixedor
• Esperanto: inda (eo)
• Galician: merecedor (gl)
• German: verdient (de)
• Latin: dignus (la)
• Portuguese: merecedor (pt)
• Spanish: merecedor (es), digno (es)
• Tagalog: tampat
• Ukrainian: заслу́жений (zaslúženyj)

Noun

deserving (plural deservings)

1. desert, merit
   • 1711, Jonathan Swift, The Examiner, Number 30:

     I ​here understand that value which every man puts upon his own deservings from the publick

Translations

desert, merit

• Bulgarian: заслуга (bg) (zasluga), достойнство (bg) (dostojnstvo)

Verb

deserving

1. present participle and gerund of deserve