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

Like private equity, investments are illiquid and the competition to find worthy borrowers is stiff.

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Cincinnati’s surge into the playoffs is a remarkable accomplishment worthy of recognition.

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“The most worthy path for continued investment and research is in genetics,” she says.

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Yet the best way to deal with them is to prove yourself worthy.

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None of this is to suggest that this six-part “Maigret” is anything less than a perfectly serviceable Sunday-night crime series, even a worthy entry among presentations of the venerable “Masterpiece Mystery!”

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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.”