worthiness

[wur-thee-nis]

noun

1. the fact or quality of having great or adequate merit, character, or value.

   These experiences gave her the strength and energy to champion her belief in the fundamental dignity and worthiness of humankind.

2. the fact or quality of meeting the standard for deserving a particular thing or person.

   In The Lion King, Simba must come to terms with his guilt over his father's death and his worthiness to become king.

   The princess decided to set the suitor a task to prove his worthiness of her hand.

Other Word Forms

• preworthiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of worthiness¹

worthy ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Artistic worthiness isn’t measured by gravity of subject matter.

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"I can't change the credit worthiness of the city, but I can change how investors look at our sustainability work, and make it more attractive to them."

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She included Inspire Health Alliance, which the lawsuit claims provided nurse practitioners who collaborated with Disney staff to determine DAS pass worthiness.

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As much as our culture wants you to believe otherwise, your debt balance isn’t a reflection of your financial responsibility or your overall worthiness as a human being.

Read more on Salon

One of them is that the British “Traitors” surfaces social class as its dominant subtext, whereas Cumming’s game shows American snobbery manifesting in fame, not skill, being a major determinant of worth and worthiness.

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Related Words

• advantage 
• character 
• ethic 
• excellence 
• faith 
• generosity 
• goodness 
• ideal 
• kindness 
• love 
• merit 
• morality 
• purity 
• quality 
• rectitude 
• righteousness 
• value