worthy

1 of 3

adjective

wor·​thy ˈwər-t͟hē How to pronounce worthy (audio)
worthier; worthiest
Synonyms of worthy
1
a
: having worth or value : estimable
a worthy cause
b
: honorable, meritorious
worthy candidates
2
: having sufficient worth or importance
worthy to be remembered
worthily
ˈwər-t͟hə-lē How to pronounce worthy (audio)
adverb
worthiness
ˈwər-t͟hē-nəs How to pronounce worthy (audio)
noun

worthy

2 of 3

noun

plural worthies
: a worthy or prominent person

-worthy

3 of 3

adjective combining form

1
: fit or safe for
a seaworthy vessel
2
: of sufficient worth for
a newsworthy event

Synonyms of worthy

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of worthy in a Sentence

Adjective Your donations will be going to a worthy cause. I consider him a worthy opponent. She is a worthy successor to the mayor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
But those that are purchase-worthy are finding a growing crowd of younger entrepreneurs eager to buy at the right price. — John Schroyer, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 The pigs that would soon enough become lunch lazed in the compost-pile mud in front of a five-star-hotel-worthy view of the Cretan Sea. — Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2026
Noun
Jacobs-Jenkins cannot help noting that among that generation of Bible-quoting civil rights worthies are enough sins of the father to burden a host of sons. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2025 Ranged about him is a sculpted gallery of Communism’s great dictators, many of whom, like Lenin, had to be hoisted gasping out of the mud, along with a sprinkling of other worthies. — Christopher Helman, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for worthy

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worthy was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing worthy

Rhymes for worthy

See All Rhymes for worthy

Browse Nearby Words

worthwhile
worthy
-worthy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worthy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

worthy

1 of 2 adjective
wor·​thy ˈwər-t͟hē How to pronounce worthy (audio)
worthier; worthiest
1
a
: having worth or value
a worthy cause
b
: honorable sense 1
worthy candidates
2
: having enough value or excellence
a student worthy of the prize
worthily
-t͟hə-lē How to pronounce worthy (audio)
adverb
worthiness
-thē-nəs How to pronounce worthy (audio)
noun

worthy

2 of 2 noun
plural worthies
: a worthy person

More from Merriam-Webster on worthy

Nglish: Translation of worthy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All