unworthy

[uhn-wur-thee]

See more synonyms for unworthy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, un·wor·thi·er, un·wor·thi·est.

not worthy; lacking worth or excellence.
beneath the dignity (usually followed by of): behavior unworthy of a king.
of a kind not worthy (often followed by of).

not of adequate merit or character.
not commendable or creditable.
not deserving.

noun, plural un·wor·thies.

an unworthy person.

Origin of unworthy

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at un-¹, worthy

Related formsun·wor·thi·ly, adverbun·wor·thi·ness, nounself-un·wor·thi·ness, noun

Synonyms for unworthy

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

3, 4. unseemly, unfit, unsuitable, ignoble.

Antonyms for unworthy

1. deserving, admirable, commendable.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for unworthiness

avarice, malice, greed, closeness, disrepute, parsimony, wickedness, rapacity, corruptness, covetousness, frugality, infamy, degradation, malignity, debasement, baseness, iniquity, pettiness, degeneracy, unworthiness

Examples from the Web for unworthiness

Contemporary Examples of unworthiness

Feelings of shame and unworthiness are universal precursors to one of two things: an act of destruction and an act of heroism.
Marc Webb Takes Us Inside ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and Discusses His Rise to the A-List
Marlow Stern
March 15, 2014
That it stems from an engrained sense of unworthiness and shame is something that Dunne is winningly eager to acknowledge.
After Dominick
J. J. Berzelius
November 7, 2008

Historical Examples of unworthiness

She was as much to blame as he; and for her unworthiness was he to be left to suffer?
Salted With Fire
George MacDonald
The weight which pressed him down was the sense of his unworthiness.
Bunyan
James Anthony Froude
Pete mistook Philip's hesitation for a silent commentary on his own unworthiness.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
I am punished for the unworthiness of my offering and the unworthiness of the cause in which I offered it.
The Strolling Saint
Raphael Sabatini
I admit it; but it is with unworthiness that we must combat unworthiness.
Mistress Wilding
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for unworthiness

unworthy

adjective

(often foll by of) not deserving or worthy
(often foll by of) beneath the level considered befitting (to)that remark is unworthy of you
lacking merit or value
(of treatment) not warranted or deserved

Derived Formsunworthily, adverbunworthiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unworthiness

unworthy

adj.

mid-13c., unwurði, from un- (1) "not" + worthy. Cf. Middle Dutch onwerdich, Dutch onwaardig, Middle Low German unwerdich, Old High German unwirdig, Old Norse uverðugr.