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worthy

[wur-thee]
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adjective, wor·thi·er, wor·thi·est.
  1. having adequate or great merit, character, or value: a worthy successor.
  2. of commendable excellence or merit; deserving: a book worthy of praise; a person worthy to lead.
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noun, plural wor·thies.
  1. a person of eminent worth, merit, or position: The town worthies included two doctors.
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Origin of worthy

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at worth1, -y1
Related formswor·thi·ly, adverbwor·thi·ness, nounpre·wor·thi·ly, adverbpre·wor·thi·ness, nounpre·wor·thy, adjective

Synonyms

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2. meritorious, worthwhile, estimable, excellent, exemplary, righteous, upright, honorable.

-worthy

  1. a combining form of worthy, occurring in adjectives that have the general sense “deserving of, fit for” (blameworthy; newsworthy; noteworthy; trustworthy), “capable of travel in or on” (airworthy; roadworthy; seaworthy), as specified by the first word of the compound.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

noblesatisfyingworthwhileadmirablereliableexcellentdesirablevaluablehonesttrustworthydeservingdecentlaudabletruesterlinggoodpleasingchoiceuprightmoral

Examples from the Web for worthy

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "I'll prove to you that I am worthy of your trust," she said with shining eyes.

  • He says that some of the contes printed every day in the Journal are worthy of Maupassant.

    Ballads of a Bohemian

    Robert W. Service

  • Would it not be just worthy of him to have done so and never told one of his family!

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • With such teaching he must, he imagined, soon become her worthy equal.

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • She prayed that he might always be as fond of her as he was then, and resolved to be worthy of him if she could.

British Dictionary definitions for worthy

worthy

adjective -thier or -thiest
  1. (postpositive; often foll by of or an infinitive) having sufficient merit or value (for something or someone specified); deserving
  2. having worth, value, or merit
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noun plural -thies
  1. often facetious a person of distinguished character, merit, or importance
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Derived Formsworthily, adverbworthiness, noun
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

Word Origin and History for worthy

adj.

mid-13c., "having merit," from worth (n.) + -y (2). Old English had weorþful in this sense. Attested from c.1300 as a noun meaning "person of merit" (especially in Nine Worthies, famous men of history and legend: Joshua, David, Judas Maccabæus, Hector, Alexander, Julius Cæsar, Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon -- three Jews, three gentiles, three Christians).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper