praiseworthy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of praiseworthy
Explanation
When you do something praiseworthy, you should be congratulated and admired for doing it. Diving into the ocean to save a drowning child is praiseworthy. Use the adjective praiseworthy to describe an action that deserves acclaim or celebration. It's praiseworthy to treat everyone with kindness, and it's also praiseworthy to discover a cure for cancer or learn to speak ten languages. The fifteenth century word comes from a shortening of "worthy of praise," and it was originally hyphenated: praise-worthy. Praise has an Old French root, pretium, "to prize or to praise."
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.
For one thing, his novel is one of the few that looks at colonizing Mars as a legitimate, even praiseworthy, escape plan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Vance, have emphasized social campaigns, such as pressuring employers to fire people who celebrated the death—or, in some cases, who simply questioned whether Kirk was a praiseworthy figure.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2025
Others remember it as a praiseworthy attempt to fight the endemic corruption that was holding back Nigeria's development.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025
My companion thought Susan Hilferty’s costumes were the most praiseworthy feature of the production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2024
Father thought the king’s knights weren’t aggressive enough; the earl believed them to be valiant and praiseworthy.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
