unworthy
Americanadjective
-
not worthy; lacking worth or excellence.
- Antonyms:
- commendable, admirable, deserving
-
beneath the dignity (usually followed byof ).
behavior unworthy of a king.
-
of a kind not worthy (often followed byof ).
- Synonyms:
- ignoble, unsuitable, unfit, unseemly
-
not of adequate merit or character.
- Synonyms:
- ignoble, unsuitable, unfit, unseemly
-
not commendable or creditable.
-
not deserving.
noun
plural
unworthiesadjective
-
(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
Other Word Forms
- self-unworthiness noun
- unworthily adverb
- unworthiness noun
Etymology
Origin of unworthy
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.
The lesson from these examples isn’t that protecting children online is misguided or an unworthy goal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
The systemic anonymizing and blurring of anyone accused without proof of being a gang leader and terrorist is one way to render them unworthy of our concern.
From Slate • May 21, 2025
She felt unworthy of his love, but now sees it differently.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025
In a newspaper interview, he complained of "several small, unpleasant situations unworthy of a host country" around the warm-up and players' families.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2025
And as I watched the very beautiful, very talented Ms. Taylor back onto the street, the only thing I was thinking was how completely unworthy, how utterly un-Stan, I really was.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
