Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not merited; unjustifiable or unfair.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not deserved not merited.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective not deserved, earned or merited; unjustifiable or unfair

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective not deserved or earned

Etymologies

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Examples

  • I am worried about what this is doing to the democratic party and fear that this gives John McCain undeserved leverage in November.

    Angry Clinton supporters tell party leaders: 'Let's go McCain!' 2008

  • Perhaps OUR UNDEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTION will inspire Easterners to fight harder when Westerners seek to use their Senatorial advantages to gain undeserved highway and anti-terrorist funds.

    Balkinization 2006

  • For instance, hundreds of thousands of non-British Canadians, who suffered in undeserved idleness during ten depression years, are today enjoying full employment, their labour earnestly courted by the nation at war.

    Canada and Immigration 1944

  • "Besides," said Daubeny, "if he knows me to be quite hopeless" -- and here the poor boy grew scarlet as he recalled the undeserved insult -- "it's no disgrace to me to fail."

    St. Winifred's, or The World of School 1867

  • Louise's logic suggests that, had Nolan managed to steer Ranger's nod down the right side of the post minutes before Coloccini's unwitting own goal let's be honest, that *would* have been undeserved, which is just absurd.

    The Guardian World News Louise Taylor 2010

  • The award was undeserved, which is not the same as saying it went to an undeserving person.

    TPMCafe 2009

  • Speaking of so-called undeserved numbers being retired, Red Sox ownership announced right before that very game that

    Empyreal Environs 2008

  • First, the Churchmen were conspicuous by their absence; and secondly, all the old grey-headed counsellors, who had been the pride and ornament of the reigns of Edmund and Edred, were not seen; for, after the rumour of their marriage had reached Odo, he had pronounced the sentence of the lesser excommunication upon them, severing them from the sacraments; and this was felt by the old counsellors of Edred to be a most serious stigma, yet one which they could not call undeserved: hence they deserted the court.

    Edwy the Fair or the First Chronicle of Aescendune 1863

  • Now the fed is making the problem even worse by keeping these iliterate spend-thrifts in their 'undeserved' homes – at the expense of the rest of us.

    U.S. to mortgage firms: Pick up the pace 2009

  • The angry workers demanded immediate removal of the two from their 'undeserved' positions.

    Clashes between two groups of PPP 2009

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