worthy

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

wor·thy

(wûr′thē)

adj. wor·thi·er, wor·thi·est

1. Having worth, merit, or value: a worthy cause.

2. Honorable; admirable: a worthy fellow.

3. Having sufficient worth; deserving: worthy to be revered; worthy of acclaim.

n. pl. wor·thies

An eminent or distinguished person.

wor′thi·ly adv.

wor′thi·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

worthy

(ˈwɜːðɪ)

adj, -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

n, pl -thies

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

ˈworthily adv

ˈworthiness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wor•thy

(ˈwɜr ði)

adj. -thi•er, -thi•est, adj.

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

2. of commendable excellence or merit; deserving; meritorious: an effort worthy of praise.

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

[1175–1225]

wor′thi•ly, adv.

wor′thi•ness, n.

-worthy

a combining form of worthy, used with the meanings “deserving of, fit for” (newsworthy; trustworthy), “capable of travel in or on” (roadworthy; seaworthy) the thing specified by the initial element.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	worthy - an important, honorable person (word is often used humorously); "he told his story to some conservative worthies"; "local worthies rarely challenged the chief constable" important person, influential person, personage - a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence the course of events
Adj.	1.	worthy - having worth or merit or value; being honorable or admirable; "a worthy fellow"; "a worthy cause" estimable - deserving of respect or high regard good - morally admirable honourable, honorable - worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect; "an honorable man"; "led an honorable life"; "honorable service to his country" righteous - characterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice; "the...prayer of a righteous man availeth much"- James 5:16 valuable - having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange; "a valuable diamond" unworthy - lacking in value or merit; "dispel a student whose conduct is deemed unworthy"; "unworthy of forgiveness"
	2.	worthy - worthy of being chosen especially as a spouse; "the parents found the girl suitable for their son" desirable, suitable eligible - qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen; "eligible to run for office"; "eligible for retirement benefits"; "an eligible bachelor"
	3.	worthy - having qualities or abilities that merit recognition in some way; "behavior worthy of reprobation"; "a fact worthy of attention" fit - meeting adequate standards for a purpose; "a fit subject for discussion"; "it is fit and proper that you be there"; "water fit to drink"; "fit for duty"; "do as you see fit to"

worthy

adjective

1. praiseworthy, good, excellent, deserving, valuable, decent, reliable, worthwhile, respectable, upright, admirable, honourable, honest, righteous, reputable, virtuous, dependable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, estimable worthy members of the community
praiseworthy useless, dubious, demeaning, unproductive, unworthy, disreputable, untrustworthy, undeserving, ignoble

noun

1. dignitary, notable, luminary, bigwig (informal), big shot (informal), personage, big hitter (informal), heavy hitter (informal) The event brought together worthies from many fields.
dignitary nobody, punter (informal), pleb, non-person, member of the rank and file

be worthy of deserve, rate, earn, justify, merit, qualify for, warrant, have a right to, be deserving of, have a claim to or on a cause which is worthy of our support

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

worthy

adjective

1. Of great value:

costly, inestimable, invaluable, precious, priceless, valuable.

Idioms: beyond price, of great price.

2. Deserving honor, respect, or admiration:

admirable, commendable, creditable, deserving, estimable, exemplary, honorable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy, reputable, respectable.

3. Satisfying certain requirements, as for selection:

eligible, fit, fitted, qualified, suitable.

Translations

جَدير، مُسْتَحِقذو شأن، ذو أهَمِيَّهشَخْص مُحْتَرَم جِدا، وَجيهمُسْتَحِق، جَديرنَموذجي لِ، مُتلائِم مَع

fortjenehøjt respekteret personværdig

würdig wert

άξιος

digno merecedor noble prócer dignitario

digne vaillant valable brave

méltó

fyrirmaîur, mektarmaîursem hæfir/er í samræmi viîverîugurverîugur, sem verîskuldar

degno meritevole

storkarer verdig

достойный

vreden

değerlideğerli kimsehak edenhayırlı yararlılâyık

值得的极其重要的相称的知名人土配得上的

worthy

[ˈwɜːðɪ]

A. ADJ (worthier (compar) (worthiest (superl)))

1. (= deserving) [winner, champion] → merecido; [successor] → digno
she found a worthy opponent in Sabatini → encontró en Sabatini a una oponente de su categoría
worthy cause → buena causa f, causa f noble
to be worthy of sth/sb → ser digno de algo/algn
worthy of attention → digno de atención
a greatest hits album worthy of the name → un disco de grandes éxitos digno de su nombre
she wanted so much to be worthy of her father → ansiaba ser digna hija de su padre
that comment was not worthy of you → esa observación fue indigna de usted
that remark is not worthy of a reply → ese comentario no (se) merece una respuesta

2. (= good) [person] → respetable; [motive, aim] → encomiable

3. (iro) [person] → honorable, venerable

B. N (hum) → ilustre personaje m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

worthy

[ˈwɜː^rði] adj

(= deserving) [person] → digne d'estime; [winner, champion] → méritant(e); [successor] → digne before n; [motive, cause] → louable; [effort, attempt] → méritoire
a worthy goal → un objectif louable
to be worthy of sth → mériter qch
to be worthy of sb → être digne de qn
He is not worthy of you → Il n'est pas digne de toi.

(= respectable) [person] → méritant(e)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

worthy

adj (+er)

→ ehrenwert, achtbar; opponent → würdig; motive, cause → lobenswert, löblich; my worthy friend → mein werter Freund

pred → wert, würdig; worthy of remark → bemerkenswert; worthy of mention → erwähnenswert; to be worthy of somebody/something → jds/einer Sache würdig sein (geh); any journalist worthy of the name → jeder Journalist, der diese Bezeichnung verdient; this makes him worthy of (our) respect → dafür verdient er unseren Respekt; he is worthy to be ranked among … → er ist es wert, zu … gezählt zu werden

n (hum) the local worthies → die Ortsgrößen pl (hum)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

worthy

[ˈwɜːðɪ]

1. adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (gen) → degno/a; (cause, aim, motive) → lodevole
worthy of → degno di
worthy of note or mention → degno di nota

2. n (hum) → personalità f inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

worth

(wəːθ) noun

value. These books are of little or no worth; She sold fifty dollars' worth of tickets.

adjective

1. equal in value to. Each of these stamps is worth a cent.

2. good enough for. His suggestion is worth considering: The exhibition is well worth a visit.

ˈworthless adjective

of no value. worthless old coins.

ˈworthlessly adverb

ˈworthlessness noun

ˈworthy (-ði) adjective

1. good and deserving. I willingly give money to a worthy cause.

2. (with of) deserving. She was not worthy of the honour given to her.

3. (with of) typical of, suited to, or in keeping with. a performance worthy of a champion.

4. of great enough importance etc. She was not thought worthy to be presented to the king.

noun – plural ˈworthies –

a highly respected person.

ˈworthily adverb

ˈworthiness noun

-worthy

1. deserving; fit for. a blameworthy act.

2. fit for its appropriate use. a seaworthy ship.

worthˈwhile adjective

deserving attention, time and effort etc. a worthwhile cause; It isn't worthwhile to ask him – he'll only refuse.

for all one is worth

using all one's efforts, strength etc. He swam for all he was worth towards the shore.

References in classic literature ?

He also continued to be accompanied by the worthy old chief with the hard name, who seemed bent upon doing the honors of the country, and introducing him to every branch of his tribe.

View in context

The reader will be pleased to remember, that, at the beginning of the second book of this history, we gave him a hint of our intention to pass over several large periods of time, in which nothing happened worthy of being recorded in a chronicle of this kind.

View in context

It is worthy the observing, that there is no passion in the mind of man, so weak, but it mates, and masters, the fear of death; and therefore, death is no such terrible enemy, when a man hath so many attendants about him, that can win the combat of him.

View in context

The worthy gentleman used his privilege as a Voltairean noble to stay away from mass; and great indulgence was shown to his irreligion because of his devotion to the royal cause.

View in context

"This young nobleman appears to me extremely worthy to succeed the valiant gentleman of whom I am the friend and very humble servant."

View in context

To celebrate the return of its most illustrious member and his two companions, the Gun Club decided upon giving a banquet, but a banquet worthy of the conquerors, worthy of the American people, and under such conditions that all the inhabitants of the Union could directly take part in it.

View in context

An artist, for instance, paints a picture worthy of Gay.

View in context

Under happier circumstances how worthy I should have been of Miss Halcombe--how worthy Miss Halcombe would have been of ME.

View in context

``Vows,'' said the Abbot, ``must be unloosed, worthy Franklin, or permit me rather to say, worthy Thane, though the title is antiquated.

View in context

She might be defined, I reflected, as The Woman Who Is Worthy Of Us; but the improbability which every healthily conceited young man must feel of ever finding such a one made the definition seem a little unserviceable.

View in context

is absolutely on the catch for a husband, and no one therefore can pity her for losing, by the superior attractions of another woman, the chance of being able to make a worthy man completely wretched.

View in context

My squire, God's curse upon him, is better at unloosing his tongue in talking impertinence than in tightening the girths of a saddle to keep it steady; but however I may be, allen or raised up, on foot or on horseback, I shall always be at your service and that of my lady the duchess, your worthy consort, worthy queen of beauty and paramount princess of courtesy."