worthy

[ wur-thee ]

/ ˈwɜr ði /

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See synonyms for: worthy / worthier / worthies / worthiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, wor·thi·er, wor·thi·est.

having adequate or great merit, character, or value: a worthy successor.

of commendable excellence or merit; deserving: a book worthy of praise; a person worthy to lead.

noun, plural wor·thies.

a person of eminent worth, merit, or position: The town worthies included two doctors.

OTHER WORDS FOR worthy

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

See synonyms for worthy on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of worthy

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at worth¹, -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM worthy

wor·thi·ly, adverbwor·thi·ness, nounpre·wor·thi·ly, adverbpre·wor·thi·ness, noun

pre·wor·thy, adjective

Words nearby worthy

worthless, worth one's salt, worth one's weight in gold, worth one's while, worthwhile, worthy, worthy of the name, wot, Wotan, wotcher, Wotton

Other definitions for worthy (2 of 2)

-worthy

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use worthy in a sentence

Most important is that unless you have sumo-worthy upper-body strength, do not attempt ramen without a pasta maker.
Making homemade ramen noodles is surprisingly challenging and totally worth it|By Catherine Tillman Whalen/Saveur|September 11, 2020|Popular-Science
A pair of Connecticut Sun teammates with very different stat profiles are also worthy of starts.
There’s No WNBA All-Star Game This Year, But We Picked The Rosters Anyway|Howard Megdal|August 26, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
More padding would obviously add weight and take up space, but I think it would be a worthy upgrade.
The Matador SEG42 Offers Unrivaled Gear Organization|Graham Averill|August 25, 2020|Outside Online
Ziwe Fumudoh’s Instagram Lives are the quarantine brainchild that we simply aren’t worthy of.
The Best Streaming Shows Quarantine Has to Offer|Joshua Eferighe|August 14, 2020|Ozy

Fortunately, Perseverance is headed to a spot that should be full of collection-worthy rocks.
NASA’s Perseverance rover will seek signs of past life on Mars|Lisa Grossman|July 28, 2020|Science News
However, more than 20 players on the ballot this year were probably worthy of being enshrined in Cooperstown.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But the jokes flow at such a torrential pace that duds are soon forgotten; the best are even Spamalot-worthy.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dear Thief is worthy of the abused critical adjectives philosophical, atmospheric, and masterful.
A Novel Nearly Impossible to Review|Nicholas Mancusi|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From Ann Coulter on Ebola to evangelicals on climate change, 2014 was full of award-worthy science denialism.
2014: Revenge of the Creationists|Karl W. Giberson|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These crimes of fashion proved the men were feminine and thus gay and therefore worthy of incarceration.
The Straight Hero of Cameroon’s Gays|Jay Michaelson|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
El Imparcial maintained that he was worthy of being honoured as a 19th century conquering hero.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
As far down as Mayence or Mentz (55 miles), the low banks and broad intervale continue, and there is little worthy of notice.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Noble ambition—worthy of a less ignoble cause—a better fate!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The worthy knight not being now alive to veto the project, a figure of him has been placed opposite the College in Edmund Street.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
He is on the violin what Liszt is on the piano, and is the only artist worthy to be mentioned in the same breath with him.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for worthy

worthy

/ (ˈwɜːðɪ) /

adjective -thier or -thiest

(postpositive; often foll by of or an infinitive) having sufficient merit or value (for something or someone specified); deserving

having worth, value, or merit

noun plural -thies

often facetious a person of distinguished character, merit, or importance

Derived forms of worthy

worthily, 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

worthy

OTHER WORDS FOR worthy

Origin of worthy

OTHER WORDS FROM worthy

Words nearby worthy

Other definitions for worthy (2 of 2)

Words related to worthy

How to use worthy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for worthy

Derived forms of worthy