worthy
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.deserving of something, such as respect, support, or a prize.
adj.having sufficient worth or merit to deserve a particular treatment or reward; frequently takes the preposition 'of'.
Simple“The charity provides help to many worthy causes in the local area.”
In context“The committee struggled to decide which applicant was most worthy of the scholarship, as every candidate demonstrated exceptional academic potential.”
UsageCommonly followed by 'of' plus a noun or gerund.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having a good character and deserving respect.
adj.characterised by integrity, excellence, or moral value.
Simple“He was a worthy opponent who played the game fairly.”
In context“Though they were rivals, she considered him a worthy successor who would maintain the high standards of the institution.”
SynonymsAntonymsdisreputable - 03 C1 Advanced
n.an important or famous person, especially in a small town.
n.a person of some importance or standing within a specific community or organisation.
Simple“The local worthies gathered at the town hall for the annual dinner.”
In context“The front row was occupied by various local worthies, including the mayor and several prominent business owners.”
UsageOften used in the plural form 'worthies'.
Teacher's tipIn modern usage, this is often slightly humorous or ironic, suggesting the people think they are more important than they actually are.
“Miltenova has said she is now "confident" that Bulgaria will be a "worthy" host and the country would "showcase the very best of our culture, hospitality and professionalism".”
“Morrison showed me that Black lives and characters from marginalised worlds are worthy of being centred within literature.”
From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ (“worthy”), equivalent to worth + -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy”), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy”), German würdig (“worthy”), Swedish värdig (“worthy”), Icelandic verðugt (“worthy”).
From Middle English worthien, wurthien, from Old English weorþian (“to esteem, honor, worship, distinguish, celebrate, exalt, praise, adorn, deck, enrich, reward”), from Proto-Germanic werþōną (“to be worthy, estimate, appreciate, appraise”), from Proto-Indo-European wert- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with German werten (“to rate, judge, grade, score”), Swedish värdera (“to evaluate, rate, size up, assess, estimate”), Icelandic virða (“to respect, esteem”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.