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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Odysseus is obsessed with honor, and Mr. Nolan has likewise done everything in his considerable power to pay worthy cinematic tribute to one of our foundational texts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“The American people deserve competent leadership and law enforcement that is transparent, accountable, and worthy of the public’s trust.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
"A worthy champion, an incredible defence of his title. As the great players do, they find the way to win," former British number one Tim Henman said on BBC TV.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Right now, any decision on interest rates, including no change, is worthy of a press conference.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Although integration is a worthy goal, it is sometimes not feasible.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Her childhood gave her ample evidence that finding a man was not the answer to the riddle of a woman’s life, and the last thing she envisioned for herself was a Disney -worthy fairy tale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2018
I wish I could muster up some -worthy contrarianism, but I’m right there with those guys.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2013
They are not, as you will imagine, at all like the pictures in the Shakspeare Gallery: no; they are -worthy of Dryden.
From The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 4 by Walpole, Horace
On the face of it, little connects the mutton-chopped worthies who built places like Saltaire and Bournville with the tech bros of Silicon Valley.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2022
The answer, my worthies, is that it is nowhere to be found in the Constitution.
From Salon ● May 14, 2022
Other worthies such as Adam and the Ants and James Ingram were shut down in this category.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2022
An uncomplicated, comfort-zone paean to the Irish communist Jimmy Gralton, whose brand of free-thinking is too much for the local worthies in 1930s Ireland.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 17, 2019
‘Very ridiculous of you, Frodo! But I wish I had been there to see. The worthies of Bree will be discussing it a hundred years hence.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
In “Death of a Unicorn,” the last-act thrills just can’t match the early-going’s billionaire satire that gleefully prescribes a worthier comeuppance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
Is not pole position – generally the fastest racing of the weekend – worthier of a point than fastest race lap, which is purely tactical?
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024
Extensive development work is being conducted to give old clothes and textiles a worthier end.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024
“Nobody ever asks,” Mr. Eisenberg wrote, “whether his money should go to worthier causes.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2022
Harry Potter’s well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Among his worthiest financial prescriptions is to marry well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
However while Musk and Altman have been focused on each trying to prove themselves the worthiest custodians of AI in court, their rivals have raced ahead.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Cruz is the worthiest, but I’ll give the slight edge to Moore, who hasn’t been nominated since winning the lead actress Oscar for “Still Alice” nearly a decade ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
But they also distract from a larger question about whether, even under the best conditions, trying to fulfill Musk’s highest aspirations for Twitter is the worthiest use of his time.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2022
Though it was a forbidden love, still he felt it to be the worthiest thing about him, and the purest, and the deepest.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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.
