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undeserved

undeserved

11 4.2
A reward or punishment someone does not earn and that is not fair
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌndɪˈzɜrvd/
translation icon : inmerecido
  • He faced a lot of undeserved criticism for mistakes that were not his fault.
  • undeserved suffering

Her ideal is the person who neither gives nor takes what is undeserved or unearned.

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Examples

  • Her boss praised her for her work, but many felt it was an undeserved compliment because she hadn't contributed much to the project.

  • Meanwhile, his adult fiction has languished in relative but undeserved obscurity.

    Academic text (2008)
  • And number six, and this is a big one, is giving undeserved second chances.

  • My friend, you are an undeserved gift from heaven.

  • Beautiful, undeserved grace and forgiveness.

  • Athletes are also believed to receive undeserved extra benefits not available to other students.

    Academic text (2007)
  • You have exposed this office and the university to a completely undeserved scandal.

  • So while I respect the loyalty, I gotta say it's a little bit undeserved.

  • May he find undeserved bliss wherever he goes.

  • Katy, will you do me the unbelievable and totally undeserved honor of becoming my wife, again?

Synonyms

unjust
vsundeserved
70 4.0

Not fair and not right

focuses on personal earning or merit rather than general fairness
unwarranted
vsundeserved
31 7.0

Not having a good reason or official permission

centres on being unearned or not merited rather than permission issues
unearned
vsundeserved
2 5.8

Not gained by work or effort

focuses on lack of justification by actions rather than only effort
unmerited
vsundeserved
1 7.6

Not deserved because there is no good reason

has the same meaning but stresses lack of earning by actions
meritless
vsundeserved
1 7.0

Having no value and not deserving praise

concerns not being earned or justified rather than lacking intrinsic value

Antonyms

1 3.4

Earned fairly because of what someone did

How Deserved

deserved
1 3.4
undeserved
11 4.2

Surface Forms

undeserved positive
undeserveder comparative
undeservedest superlative

Morphology

undeserved = deserved (transparent) = un + deserve + ed

A straightforward negative prefixation: un- negates the adjective/past participle 'deserved', producing the clear meaning 'not deserved'.

Etymology

Undeserved is made of un- 'not' and deserve 'to earn', so it literally means 'not earned'. That's why praise, a reward, or blame that someone did not earn is called undeserved.