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Synonyms

undeserved

British  
/ ˌʌndɪˈzɜːvd /

adjective

  1. not earned or merited; unwarranted

    an undeserved reputation
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Taylor and Pauly want to set the record straight about rattlesnakes, whose rep as evil or villainous serpents is undeserved, they say.

From Los Angeles Times

It was the public support and undeserved prestige that rankled.

From The Wall Street Journal

I received a lot of undeserved credit for my timing.

From Literature

"In the first half the result was totally undeserved. Then in the second half, with the second goal, it completely turned around and the result is more than fair," said Mourinho.

From Barron's

For the pilots who flew it, the MiG‑21's tarnished reputation in later years is undeserved.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.