Deserving

/dɪˈzɝvɪŋ/

Synonyms for "deserving" (41 found)

Ranked by relevance and common usage.

Choosing the right synonym

  • Closest matches in this entry: admirable, ascribable, attributable, awardworthy, beyond all praise.
  • Sentence evidence is available for deserving, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
  • Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.

Synonym selection checklist

  • Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
  • Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
  • Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "deserving".
  • Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.

When not to replace "deserving"

Keep "deserving" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.

If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.

Replacement workflow

1. Preserve meaning

Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "deserving" intact in the sentence you are editing.

2. Tune tone

Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.

3. Re-read context

Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.

Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.

Final fit check

After choosing a replacement for "deserving", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.

If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "deserving" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.

Related word relations

OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.

6 relation types

More general

5 entries
meritpenaltypositive attributesanctionworth

More specific

7 entries
deserving censuredeserving praisedeserving punishmentdeserving rewarddeserving sanctionexemplarypraiseworthy

Collocations

10 entries
deserving attentiondeserving candidatedeserving of considerationdeserving of praisedeserving of recognitiondeserving outcomedeserving praisedeserving recognitiondeserving rewardmost deserving

Inflections

4 entries
deserveddeservesmore deservingmost deserving

Derivations

7 entries

similar

1 entries

Sample sentences

13 total sentences available.

Tatoeba + Wiktionary

They call Paris the City of Lights, but Las Vegas may be more deserving of that title.

Source: tatoeba (629812)

This hotel is far from deserving the four stars the guidebook gives it.

Source: tatoeba (662978)

Tom was really deserving.

Source: tatoeba (5746318)

We remarked with pain that the indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced (we believe for the first time) at the English court on Friday last ... it is quite sufficient to cast one's eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure on the bodies in their dance, to see that it is indeed far removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females. So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is attempted to be forced on the respectable classes of society by the civil examples of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion.

Source: tatoeba (6395940)

Showing 4 of 13 available sentences.

Common questions

What are the closest synonyms for "deserving"?

Closest matches include admirable, ascribable, attributable, awardworthy, beyond all praise.

How should I check whether a synonym fits "deserving"?

Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.

More for "deserving"