having adequate or great merit, character, or value.
a worthy successor.
of commendable excellence or merit; deserving of one's time, attention, interest, work, trouble, etc..
a book worthy of praise;
a person worthy to lead.
(postpositive; often foll by of or an infinitive) having sufficient merit or value (for something or someone specified); deserving
having worth, value, or merit
What does -worthy mean? The combining form -worthy is used like a suffix meaning “deserving of,” "fit for," or "capable of travel in or on." It is occasionally used in a variety of everyday and technical terms. The form -worthy comes from Old English -wyrðe, meaning “worthy.”
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; see origin at worth 1, -y 1
Use the adjective worthy to describe the good causes to which you donate a little money each year. Their admirable qualities are what make them worthy. Something that deserves respect is worthy, whether it's a charity, a hard working tennis opponent, or a struggle to overcome a disability. If it's worth your admiration or has some inherent value, it's worthy. The word has been around since the thirteenth century, and it was especially common in the 1300's to use worthy as a noun meaning "person of merit."
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Associate Professor Worthy says the discovery fills a major gap in understanding the country's past.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
Lead author, Flinders University Associate Professor Trevor Worthy, says the research reveals a previously unknown chapter of the country's biodiversity.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
Appeared in the October 24, 2025, print edition as 'A Worthy Trip Into the Underworld'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Eavis has always said he remains a farmer first, but his impact has been felt far beyond Worthy Farm.
From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025
A driver showered insults upon a woman named Epsie Worthy when she refused to pay an extra fare at a transfer point.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
