worthy

¹

[wur-thee]

adjective

worthier, worthiest 

1. having adequate or great merit, character, or value.

   a worthy successor.

2. 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.

   Synonyms: honorable, upright, exemplary, excellent, estimable, worthwhile, meritorious, deserving

noun

plural

worthies 

1. a person of eminent worth, merit, or position.

   The town worthies included two doctors.

-worthy

²

1. a combining form of worthy, occurring in adjectives that have the general sense “deserving of, fit for” (blameworthy; newsworthy; noteworthy; trustworthy ), “capable of travel in or on” (airworthy; roadworthy; seaworthy ), as specified by the first word of the compound.

worthy

/ ˈwɜːðɪ /

adjective

1. (postpositive; often foll by of or an infinitive) having sufficient merit or value (for something or someone specified); deserving

2. having worth, value, or merit

noun

1. facetious,  a person of distinguished character, merit, or importance

Other Word Forms

• worthily adverb
• worthiness noun
• preworthily adverb
• preworthy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of worthy¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; worth ¹, -y ¹

Example Sentences

A worthy successor to 1964’s “Fail Safe,” Ms. Bigelow’s documentary-tinged feature is almost too chilling to sit through.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

From there, Maki says, it passed to “a noteworthy collector, then another one, and then a very prominent musician,” who eventually chose to part with it, relinquishing the instrument to Maki and entrusting him to find a player worthy of continuing its legacy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It was Pederzoli who thought of Robert Lipsett — a Colburn instructor who has taught Ushikubo for the past 16 years — and called to inquire who he would deem worthy of such an instrument.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke with Merz, after which her office said they "reaffirmed the ultimate goal of achieving a just and lasting peace, in the interest of all of Europe," adding that "other elements of the plan were deemed worthy of further exploration".

Read more on Barron's

According to Ranjay Gulati, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, courageous leaders “take bold, risky action to serve a purpose that they perceive to be worthy, usually in the face of an abiding fear.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• admirable 
• decent 
• deserving 
• desirable 
• excellent 
• honest 
• laudable 
• noble 
• reliable 
• satisfying www.thesaurus.com
• true 
• trustworthy 
• valuable 
• worthwhile 

When To Use

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.”