worthwhile
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worthwhile
Explanation
Things that are worthwhile are good — they're worth the time or money you spend on them. If you walked out of the theater and said "Wow, I'm glad I saw that movie!", then your film viewing trip was worthwhile. If going to the gym helped you get in better shape, it was worthwhile. If hanging out in the park made you happy, it was worthwhile. If something is a total waste of time and you wish you hadn't done it, then it wasn't worthwhile.
Vocabulary lists containing worthwhile
Because of Mr. Terupt
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List 9
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"The Ugly One," Vocabulary from Chapters 21-25
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Cape Fear” filmed in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga. That’s a long trip back to Spain but manageable and certainly worthwhile, he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
In all likelihood, the debate over whether Microsoft’s AI spending is worthwhile won’t get resolved in a single quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Turning on the oven quite literally changes the climate of my entire workplace — but roasting summer fruit is one of the few things that makes the sacrifice worthwhile.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
“If I look at the profitability of the credit card and put it on top of that route, is that enough to make it worthwhile to fly a loss leader?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
I want to ask if it was that sample—the sample that made me fall—that was the most worthwhile one.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
