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
-
unworthies
plural
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of unworthy
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at un- 1, worthy
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.
See Examples For:
It has now been six years since the two men spoke, with Ryu going into seclusion and Ken selling out, hawking products like Duracell while signing up for gimmicky bouts unworthy of his talent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Real Madrid rejected this clarification, saying it did not mitigate the "institutionally unworthy nature of his statements".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island, said the department “has proven unworthy of this trust at every point in this case.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
“It eventually created a hostile environment for us, to intimidate us. It said that Palestinian students didn’t matter, that our concerns are unworthy of task forces, of investigations, of any protection.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Never have I been made to feel more humble and unworthy.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Hollow-eyed, gaunt, gorgeously ravaged – Mourinho was already in the habit of using his increasingly odd post-match press conferences to rail against the moles, traitors, cowards and unworthies inside his own dressing room.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2015
These unworthies were slammed for their books, which he declared “rubbish” and “awful.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2012
Those two unworthies had come forth looking both cowed and excited, and they had rushed up to their rooms to pack their belongings without delay.
From The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island or, The Old Lumberman's Treasure Box by Edward Stratemeyer
During that time, they saw Slugger, Nappy and Codfish a number of times, but all of those unworthies seemed to give them a wide berth.
From The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island or, The Old Lumberman's Treasure Box by Edward Stratemeyer
But they were destined to hear more from these two unworthies, and in a most unusual fashion.
From The Rover Boys Under Canvas or The Mystery of the Wrecked Submarine by Edward Stratemeyer
The title-page gives a London publisher as well as an Anglo-Athenian one, and Mrs. Johnstone benevolently adapted her labours to her countrywomen and the unworthier Southrons alike.
From Old Cookery Books and Ancient Cuisine by William Carew Hazlitt
In the qualities of a ruler he was conspicuously deficient; always dependent on others, he ever inclined to the unworthier master.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various
The difference is, that in the truly great the unworthier side of nature is viewed as unworthy—is fought against and banished like the plague.
From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume I by Mrs. Russell Barrington
The obstinate calumny of his scepticism served as a pretext to the King's conscience for the unworthier instinct of personal dislike.
From Sir Walter Ralegh A Biography by W. (William) Stebbing
Ah! that passage of childhood, what a void it makes in the growing heart; and how quietly its place is filled by unworthier influences.
From The Doctor's Daughter by [pseud.] Vera
Dare to profane with his unworthiest hand that.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
In vain he accosted her in the humblest and most repentant manner, calling himself the unworthiest of mankind, and entreating to be allowed to love her.
From Stories from the Italian Poets: with Lives of the Writers, Volume 2 by Torquato Tasso
Degree being vizarded, Th' unworthiest shews as fairly in the mask.
From Tolstoy on Shakespeare A Critical Essay on Shakespeare by V. G. (Vladimir Grigorevich) Chertkov
There is no wonder, therefore, that he should at the time have been accused of being actuated by the unworthiest of reasons, and that the charge should continue to be repeated to our day.
From Library of the World's Best literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 12 by Various
If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this,— My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
From Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
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