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

---

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.

---

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

---

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

Explanation

Use the adjective worthy to describe the good causes to which you donate a little money each year. Their admirable qualities are what make them worthy. Something that deserves respect is worthy, whether it's a charity, a hard working tennis opponent, or a struggle to overcome a disability. If it's worth your admiration or has some inherent value, it's worthy. The word has been around since the thirteenth century, and it was especially common in the 1300's to use worthy as a noun meaning "person of merit."

Example Sentences

Anyone who has jumped out of a plane with a parachute deserves respect, but to do it 36 times, that’s worthy of a salute.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

The chart, posted on X last week by Jay Kaeppel, senior market analyst at Sentimentrader, is therefore worthy of note.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

"After decades of limited and piecemeal investments in the North, Canada's new government is acting with a scale of ambition worthy of this vast region and its peoples," he said in March.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Witnessing a solar eclipse from space was a spectacle worthy of science fiction, as pilot Glover put it.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

And now Allun, too, was to climb the Mountain Trying yet again to prove himself a worthy citizen of Rin.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Related Words

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