deserving

deserving
    adj 1: worthy of being treated in a particular way; "an idea
           worth considering"; "the deserving poor" (often used
           ironically) [syn: {deserving}, {worth(p)}]
    

Deserving \De*serv"ing\, n.
   Desert; merit.
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         A person of great deservings from the republic.
                                                  --Swift.
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Deserve \De*serve"\ (d[-e]*z[~e]rv"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   {Deserved}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Deserving}.] [OF. deservir,
   desservir, to merit, L. deservire to serve zealously, be
   devoted to; de- + servire to serve. See {Serve}.]
   1. To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either
      good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to; as, the
      laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves
      praise.
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            God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity
            deserveth.                            --Job xi. 6.
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            John Gay deserved to be a favorite.   --Thackeray.
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            Encouragement is not held out to things that deserve
            reprehension.                         --Burke.
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   2. To serve; to treat; to benefit. [Obs.]
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            A man that hath
            So well deserved me.                  --Massinger.
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Deserving \De*serv"ing\, a.
   Meritorious; worthy; as, a deserving person or act. --
   {De*serv"ing*ly}, adv.
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24 Moby Thesaurus words for "deserving":
      admirable, ascribable, attributable, beyond all praise,
      comeuppance, commendable, creditable, deserts, due, entitled to,
      estimable, exemplary, laudable, merit, merited, meriting,
      meritorious, model, praiseworthy, rights, unexceptionable,
      well-deserving, worthy, worthy of