worthy

¹ American  

[wur-thee] / ˈwɜr ði /

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

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noun

plural

worthies

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

   The town worthies included two doctors.

-worthy ² American  

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.

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worthy British  

/ 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

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noun

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

Usage

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.”

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of worthy

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

Example Sentences

The Brooklyn Eagle wrote that contact with spirits, “rests on extremely slender foundations,” but was also, “worthy of serious investigation.”

From Literature

"This is our home and we always want to put out a performance worthy of the Queensland jersey," said Reds coach Les Kiss, who will take over from Joe Schmidt as Australia coach in July.

From Barron's

That’s not to say the issues it raises aren’t worthy of concern; there’s an inherent risk in unleashing technologies that replace human labor.

From Barron's

But in a society that consistently punishes good people, simply trying to make the songs real is worthy.

From Salon

She wants to be recognized as a whole person, capable of deciding, worthy of compassion and respect.

From Barron's

Related Words

• admirable
• decent
• deserving
• desirable
• excellent
• honest
• laudable
• noble
• reliable
• satisfying
• true
• trustworthy
• valuable
• worthwhile