worthwhile
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worthwhile
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.
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.
"We think that it could really be worthwhile to look at the physiology of crayfish to see if something there is influencing their body size."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
These stories of vindication are inherently compelling: “Everybody loves rediscovery, a happy ending, and the sense of eventual justice when something worthwhile gets its due.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Emma said donating her breast milk had been "such a worthwhile thing to do".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Your wife, while she might possess similar thoughts to you, did not see it as appropriate or worthwhile to fight for the home.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
It seemed worthwhile, if absurdly so, to have endured all they’d endured for this one crowning moment, for this act of defiance that would end the suffering of all indignities.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
