undeserving

adjective

un·​de·​serv·​ing ˌən-di-ˈzər-viŋ How to pronounce undeserving (audio)
: not deserving: such as
a
: lacking merit : not worthy of praise, assistance, attention, etc.
selfish, undeserving people
The natural history of women's friendships is by no means a thin or undeserving subject.Barbara Kingsolver
b
: not deserving something specified
… circumstances of brutal outrage, of which poor Jean was in many respects wholly undeserving.Sir Walter Scott
I do not mean to say that medicine is blameless … or undeserving of criticism.Margaret Talbot
undeservingly adverb

Examples of undeserving in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The underlying justification for their mastery of this bountiful, beautiful semi-tropic place was the conviction that their predecessors — native Americans, Spanish, Mexican — were unappreciative and undeserving, unlike the grateful and energetic Yankee. Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2022 More undeserving teams making October. Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 15 Sep. 2021 Scream 3 is often dealt a short shrift by series fans and critics alike, but the flack is largely undeserving. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2023 As the commotion died down, the small riverside community seemed an undeserving, even senseless, target of Russian rockets, as there were no signs of Ukrainian troops in the area. David Guttenfelder Oleksandr Chubko, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for undeserving 

Word History

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undeserving was in 1549

Dictionary Entries Near undeserving

Cite this Entry

“Undeserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undeserving. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on undeserving

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!