undeservedadj.
/ˌʌndᵻˈzəːvd/, U.S. /ˌəndəˈzərvd/, /ˌəndiˈzərvd/ a. Without having deserved it; undeserving.
ΚΠ
c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde iii. 1021 O were it leful þat I pleyne of þe, That vndeserued suffrest Ialousie.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 13 Some comen to the dole In happ, and..Drinke undeserved of the beste.
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. 2407 And vndeserued [sc. of me] ben to me so trewe, Þat I ensure vpon my feith [etc.].
c1525 J. Rastell New Commodye Propertes of Women sig. Aviv Yet vndeseruyd now thou commyst hydyr.
1593 T. Kyd Let. Sir J. Puckering in Wks. (1901) p. cviii Atheisme,..which I was vndeserved chargd withall.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > unjustness > [adjective]
unrighteOE
unrightfulOE
wrongousa1200
wrongfulc1311
unevenc1380
unjustc1384
untrue1393
injustc1430
unreasonablec1440
unduec1450
inique1521
unequal1535
wry1561
undeserved?c1570
justless1578
unrighted1608
unequitable1643
inequitable1667
unfair1724
iniquitablea1734
unsportsmanlike1754
unsportsmanly1776
unsporting1859
below the belt1892
red-hot1896
society > morality > dueness or propriety > moral impropriety > [adverb] > undeservedly or undeservingly
wrightlesslikea1325
unworthilya1340
undeservingly1552
undeserved?c1570
indignly1593
undeservedly1603
desertlessly1619
unmeritingly1621
unmeritedly1635
deservelessly1654
immeritoriously1675
unmeritoriously1799
?c1570 Bugbears iii. iv. 8 Vnderservde [sic] a thowsand tymes I wysh to see hym deade.
2. Not deserved or merited (a) as a reward, favour, etc., (b) as a punishment, harm, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > dueness or propriety > moral impropriety > [adjective] > undeserving
unofservedc1225
unworthya1240
undeserved1390
unmeedfula1425
meedless1435
incondignc1450
indignc1450
undeserving1549
worthless1586
unworth1587
desertless1631
immeriting1635
demeritoriousa1640
deserveless1648
society > morality > dueness or propriety > moral impropriety > [adjective] > undeserving > undeserved > of something good
undeserved1390
society > morality > dueness or propriety > moral impropriety > [adjective] > undeserving > undeserved > of something evil
undeserved1390
unasservedc1400
unguilty1596
indign1767
(a)
(b)a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 62/1 What speke we of losse? his vtter spoile and vndeserued distruccyon.1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ii. sig. B6v Hart of flint would rew The vndeserued woes and sorrowes, which ye shew.1644 J. Milton Areopagitica 25 The removal of an undeserved thraldom upon lerning.a1816 R. B. Sheridan School for Scandal (rev. ed.) iii. i, in Wks. (1821) II. 60 He was a merchant in Dublin, but has been ruined by a series of undeserved misfortunes.1849 E. B. Eastwick Dry Leaves 63 The undeserved injuries and insults which had been heaped on the Amirs.1896 W. K. Leask H. Miller ii. 39 Undeserved denunciations of the dangers of Chartism.1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 43 Bot as the whiel aboute went He yifth his graces undeserved.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 132 That was hys othe, to gyue hymselfe to vs, A greate gyfte and vndeserued.
1551 R. Robinson in tr. T. More Vtopia Epist. sig. ✠vi Your great gentlenes to me, of my part vndeserued.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. ix. 39 Let none presume To weare an vndeserued dignity. View more context for this quotation
1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes i. §33. 54 The whole cause therfore resteth in God; even in his free grace, and undeserved love.
1722 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 681 The undeserved kindness you have heaped on me.
1825 W. Scott Talisman x, in Tales Crusaders IV. 206 Permit me rather to express..my gratitude for..this undeserved generosity.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 459 He was widely known by the very undeserved appellation of Honest Tom.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.c1374