worthy of the name

Idioms

Deserving a name or description, as in Any artist worthy of the name can draw better than that. This expression uses worthy of in the sense of “deserving by reason of merit,” a usage dating from about 1300.

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.

"Yet our town doesn't have a single public shelter worthy of the name."

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

The only Santa Claus rally worthy of the name doesn’t arrive until Christmas — just like the big man himself.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025

Some of their trenches were hardly worthy of the name, just over knee-deep, according to images posted to various brigades’ social media accounts.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2024

She said Scottish Labour would fight for a National Care Service worthy of the name.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2022

What they found instead was a midden heap, a pigsty, an empty sheepfold, and a windowless daub-and-wattle hall scarce worthy of the name.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023