worthy

[wur-th ee] /ˈwɜr ði/

adjective, worthier, worthiest.

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 worthies.

a person of eminent worth, merit, or position:

The town worthies included two doctors.

Origin

1175-1225; Middle English; see worth¹, -y¹

Related forms

worthily, adverb

worthiness, noun

preworthily, adverb

preworthiness, noun

preworthy, adjective

Synonyms

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

-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.

Examples from the web for worthy

But fundamentally worthy policies shouldn't need to promise laughably overoptimistic outcomes to win support.
Completing a marathon is a worthy item for the bucket list.
Evolutionary psychology is a worthy study, it is simply another field of study.
They have already begun to prove themselves worthy as the next resourceful and innovative successors.
During the holidays, with so many gatherings waiting to happen, weeknight meals sometimes need to be worthy of company.
He's been stuck in that blue-and-gold get-up for too long now, and deserves a costume worthy of a magical master.
Liberation from indentured servitude is an entirely worthy objective.
The aim is a worthy one, and the only thing wrong with the plans is that they do not go nearly far enough.
Happily, the resulting music is worthy of this star-is-born tale.
Also worthy of exploration is the formation of sacred values.

British Dictionary definitions for worthy

worthy

/ˈwɜːðɪ/

adjective -thier, -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 (pl) -thies

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

Derived Forms

worthily, adverb
worthiness, noun

Word Origin and History for worthy

adj.

mid-13c., "having merit," from worth (n.) + -y (2). Old English had weorþful in this sense. Attested from c.1300 as a noun meaning "person of merit" (especially in Nine Worthies, famous men of history and legend: Joshua, David, Judas Maccabæus, Hector, Alexander, Julius Cæsar, Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon -- three Jews, three gentiles, three Christians).