# worthy

Pronunciation: say "WUR-thee" US /ˈwɝði/, UK /ˈwɜːði/

## Adjective

1. Deserving of something, or having sufficient merit to earn it.
   - Simple: Good enough to deserve something, such as praise, trust, or a reward.
   - _The committee judged the candidate worthy of the highest honor._
   - _Few causes are as worthy of our support as disaster relief._
2. Possessing genuine worth, merit, or value.
   - Simple: Having real value or good qualities.
   - _The judges reviewed every worthy entry before reaching a decision._
   - _He proved himself a worthy successor to the company's founder._
3. Deserving admiration or respect; honorable in character or conduct.
   - Simple: Good and admirable, deserving respect.
   - _The town honored a worthy citizen for decades of public service._
   - _She admired her mentor as a thoroughly worthy and principled woman._
5. Suitable, fitting, or befitting a particular purpose or occasion.
   - Simple: Right or suitable for a particular person, thing, or occasion.
   - _The ceremony was an ending worthy of such a remarkable career._
   - _She wore a gown worthy of the grand state occasion._

## Noun

4. A person of distinction or eminence.
   - Simple: An important or much-respected person.
   - _Each worthy took a seat at the head table for the banquet._
   - _The hall filled with the county's leading worthies and dignitaries._
6. Someone distinguished by wisdom and virtue as well as goodness of character.
   - Simple: A good, wise, and morally excellent person.
   - _Confucius praised the worthy who governs the people with benevolence._
   - _The ruler surrounded himself with worthies who valued virtue over wealth._

## Verb

7. To treat or regard as worthy; to honor, revere, esteem, or value highly.
   - Simple: To treat or honor someone as deserving great respect.
   - _Poets of old would worthy their patrons in long verses of praise._
   - _The faithful worthy the saints with candles, songs, and prayers._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–6** — From Middle English worthy, from Old English *weorþiġ, equivalent to "worth" plus "-y". It is cognate with Dutch waardig, German würdig, and Swedish värdig, all meaning "worthy".
**Meaning 7** — From Middle English worthien, from Old English weorþian ("to esteem, honor, worship, celebrate"), from Proto-Germanic *werþōną ("to be worthy, estimate, appraise"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert- ("to turn, wind"). It is cognate with German werten ("to rate, judge") and Icelandic virða ("to respect, esteem").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/worthy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).