Meanings
comparative more undeserving · superlative most undeserving
- Considered unworthy of reward.
the undeserving poor
1 more example
I'm one of the undeserving poor: thats what I am. […] If theres anything going, and I put in for a bit of it, it's always the same story: "You're undeserving; so you cant have it." But my needs is as great as the most deserving widow's that ever got money out of six different charities in one week for the death of the same husband. I dont need less than a deserving man: I need more.
1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 138Antonyms: deserving
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveConsidered unworthy of reward.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot deserving
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Englishdeserving
- Englishundeserving
Translations
Ancient Greek ἀνάξιος
- ἀνάξιος (anáxios)considered unworthy of reward
Bulgarian незаслужаващ, недостоен
- незаслужаващ (nezaslužavašt)considered unworthy of reward
- недостоен (nedostoen)considered unworthy of reward
Danish uværdig
- uværdigconsidered unworthy of reward
Dutch onverdienstelijk
- onverdienstelijkconsidered unworthy of reward
German unwürdig
- unwürdigconsidered unworthy of reward
Greek ανάξιος
- ανάξιος (anáxios)considered unworthy of reward
Hindi अयोग्य
- अयोग्य (ayogya)considered unworthy of reward
Latin immerens, indignus
- immerensconsidered unworthy of reward
- indignusconsidered unworthy of reward
Portuguese desmerecedor, indigno
- desmerecedorconsidered unworthy of reward
- indignoconsidered unworthy of reward
Spanish inmerecido, no / poco merecedor / mereciente
- inmerecidoconsidered unworthy of reward
- no / poco merecedor / merecienteconsidered unworthy of reward
- desmerecedorconsidered unworthy of reward
- desmerecienteconsidered unworthy of reward
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with undeserving
All rhymes →Cite this entry
undeserving. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undeserving
“undeserving.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undeserving. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “undeserving,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undeserving.
Source: undeserving on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.