worthy

¹ American  

[wur-thee] / ˈwɜr ði /

adjective

worthier, worthiest

1. having adequate or great merit, character, or value.

   a worthy successor.

2. of commendable excellence or merit; deserving of one's time, attention, interest, work, trouble, etc..

   a book worthy of praise;

   a person worthy to lead.

   Synonyms:

   honorable, upright, exemplary, excellent, estimable, worthwhile, meritorious, deserving

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noun

plural

worthies

1. a person of eminent worth, merit, or position.

   The town worthies included two doctors.

-worthy ² American  

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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worthy British  

/ ˈwɜːðɪ /

adjective

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

1. facetious a person of distinguished character, merit, or importance

Usage

What does -worthy mean? The combining form -worthy is used like a suffix meaning “deserving of,” "fit for," or "capable of travel in or on." It is occasionally used in a variety of everyday and technical terms.The form -worthy comes from Old English -wyrðe, meaning “worthy.”

Other Word Forms

• preworthily adverb
• preworthy adjective
• worthily adverb
• worthiness noun

Etymology

Origin of worthy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; worth ¹, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Better performance from defense companies is a worthy goal, but as the largest customer, the Defense Department could build in other pricing or performance incentives, without upending decades of capital market practice.

From Barron's

If she can iron out putting woes she will be a worthy rival to Thitikul at the top of the rankings.

From BBC

Just four sets dropped across the entire tournament, with any perceived blips or wobbles not really worthy of the name.

From BBC

“Not cheap little gifts. These were Santa Claus worthy,” Fulton said.

From Los Angeles Times

Fears that highly educated women wouldn’t find men worthy of them were unfounded.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• admirable
• decent
• deserving
• desirable
• excellent
• honest
• laudable
• noble
• reliable
• satisfying
• true
• trustworthy
• valuable
• worthwhile