Deserving Of: Standard Pattern
Deserving Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “deserving of” before the thing, recognition, treatment, or response that is merited.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a person or thing merits a response, recognition, or treatment | deserving of + noun | Use “of” before what is merited. |
| the complement is already clear | deserving | The adjective can stand without an “of” phrase. |
| a verb construction is more direct | deserve + object / infinitive as appropriate | Do not force the adjective pattern when the sentence is naturally verbal. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the recognition, treatment, or response that is merited?
If yes: Use “deserving of …”.
If no: Use “deserving” alone when the complement is understood, or choose a verbal “deserve” construction if it states the idea more directly.
Caveat: Choose by the documented meaning or construction; a different pattern may be valid in a different sentence structure or variety.
Examples
The effort is deserving of recognition.
The “of” phrase names what the effort merits.
Her contribution is deserving of praise.
The complement identifies the merited response.
Several entries were equally deserving.
The adjective can stand alone when the context supplies what is merited.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “deserving of” before the thing, recognition, treatment, or response that is merited.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly documents “be deserving of something”; the guide is limited to that construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- be deserving of — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence for the construction “be deserving of something”.