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Synonyms

worthwhile

American  
[wurth-hwahyl, -wahyl] / ˈwɜrθˈʰwaɪl, -ˈwaɪl /

adjective

  1. such as to repay one's time, attention, interest, work, trouble, etc..

    a worthwhile book.
    Synonyms:
    beneficial, rewarding, valuable
worthwhile British  
/ ˌwɜːθˈwaɪl /

adjective

  1. sufficiently important, rewarding, or valuable to justify time or effort spent

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of worthwhile

First recorded in 1865–70; worth 1 + while

Explanation

Things that are worthwhile are good — they're worth the time or money you spend on them. If you walked out of the theater and said "Wow, I'm glad I saw that movie!", then your film viewing trip was worthwhile. If going to the gym helped you get in better shape, it was worthwhile. If hanging out in the park made you happy, it was worthwhile. If something is a total waste of time and you wish you hadn't done it, then it wasn't worthwhile.

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Vocabulary lists containing worthwhile

Because of Mr. Terupt

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List 9

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"The Ugly One," Vocabulary from Chapters 21-25

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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.

Halff said that it might be more worthwhile for Kazakhstan to stay in the organization.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

But it was worthwhile because it was a high-stakes, Level 7 decision.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

Ultimately, “Feed the People!” is a worthwhile corrective to a great deal of wrongheaded popular dogma about food.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

A young driver with aspirations of becoming world champion and the talent to do it, has to find who that is and prove they're good enough to make the investment worthwhile.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

But since almost all jobs in factories like Swift & Company were handed out to immigrants, most blacks did not consider a move north to be worthwhile.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

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.