Worthy Definition

wûrthē

worthier, worthies, worthiest

adjective

worthier, worthiest

Having worth, value, or merit.

Webster's New World

Honorable; admirable.

A worthy fellow.

American Heritage

Having enough worth or merit (for someone or something specified); meriting.

A man worthy of her, a candidate worthy to be supported.

Webster's New World

Suited; befitting.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

worthies

A person of outstanding worth or importance.

Webster's New World

suffix

Of sufficient worth for.

Creditworthy.

American Heritage

Suitable or safe for.

Crashworthy.

American Heritage

Able to be; fit to be; -able.

Wiktionary

Having the right, power, permission, or freedom to.

Wiktionary

affix

Worthy of; deserving.

Praiseworthy.

Webster's New World

Safe or suitable for.

Seaworthy.

Webster's New World

verb

To render or treat as worthy; exalt; revere; honour; esteem; respect; value; reward; adore.

And put upon him such a deal of man, That worthied him, got praises of the king [...] "” Shakespeare, King Lear.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Worthy

Noun

Singular:

worthy

Plural:

worthies

Adjective

Base Form:

worthy

Comparative:

worthier

Superlative:

worthiest

Origin of 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 *werþōnÄ… (“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").

From Wiktionary
From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiÄ¡ ((not found); "worthy"), equivalent to worth +"Ž -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy"), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy"), German würdig (“worthy"), Swedish värdig (“worthy"), Icelandic verðugt (“worthy").

From Wiktionary
Partly from worthy (combining form), and partly continuing Middle English -wurthe (“-able"), from Old English -wierþe (“-able"), from Proto-Germanic *werþijaz (“worthy"), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, bend"). Cognate with Dutch -waardig (“-worthy"), German -würdig (“-worthy").

From Wiktionary
From worthy

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition