The Wordsmith Dictionary

Wor "thy, a. [Compar. Worthier (; superl. Worthiest.] Etym: [OE. worthi, wurÞi, from worth, wurÞ, n.; cf. Icel. verthugr, D. waardig, G. würdig, OHG. wirdig. See Worth, n.]

1. Having worth or excellence; possessing merit; valuable; deserving; estimable; excellent; virtuous. Full worthy was he in his lordes war. Chaucer. These banished men that I have kept withal Are men endued with worthy qualities. Shak. Happier thou mayst be, worthier canst not be. Milton. This worthy mind should worthy things embrace. Sir J. Davies.

2. Having suitable, adapted, or equivalent qualities or value; -- usually with of before the thing compared or the object; more rarely, with a following infinitive instead of of, or with that; as, worthy of, equal in excellence, value, or dignity to; entitled to; meriting; -- usually in a good sense, but sometimes in a bad one. No, Warwick, thou art worthy of the sway. Shak. The merciless Macdonwald, Worthy to be a rebel. Shak. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. Matt. iii. 11.And thou art worthy that thou shouldst not know More happiness. Milton. The lodging is well worthy of the guest. Dryden.

3. Of high station; of high social position. [Obs. ] Worthy women of the town. Chaucer. Worthiest of blood (Eng. Law of Descent ), most worthy of those of the same blood to succeed or inherit; -- applied to males, and expressive of the preference given them over females. Burrill.

WORTHY

Wor "thy, n.; pl. Worthies (.

Defn: A man of eminent worth or value; one distinguished for useful and estimable qualities; a person of conspicuous desert; -- much used in the plural; as, the worthies of the church; political worthies; military worthies.The blood of ancient worthies in his veins. Cowper.

WORTHY

WORTHY Wor "thy, v. t.

Defn: To render worthy; to exalt into a hero. [Obs. ] Shak.

New American Oxford Dictionary

worthy

wor thy |ˈwərT͟Hē ˈwərði | ▶adjective ( worthier, worthiest ) deserving effort, attention, or respect: generous donations to worthy causes. • having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way: issues worthy of further consideration. • good enough; suitable: no composer was considered worthy of the name until he had written an opera. ▶noun ( pl. worthies ) often derogatory or humorous a person notable or important in a particular sphere: schools governed by local worthies. DERIVATIVES wor thi ly |-T͟Həlē |adverb, wor thi ness noun ORIGIN Middle English: from worth + -y 1 .

Oxford Dictionary

worthy

worthy |ˈwəːði | ▶adjective ( worthier, worthiest ) 1 having or showing the qualities that deserve the specified action or regard: these issues are worthy of further consideration. • deserving effort, attention, or respect: generous donations to worthy causes. • good enough; suitable: no composer was considered worthy of the name until he had written an opera. 2 characterized by good intent but lacking in humour or imagination: worthy but tedious advice. ▶noun ( pl. worthies ) often humorous a person notable or important in a particular sphere: schools governed by local worthies. DERIVATIVES worthily adverb, worthiness noun ORIGIN Middle English: from worth + -y 1 .

American Oxford Thesaurus

worthy

worthy adjective a worthy citizen: virtuous, righteous, good, moral, ethical, upright, upstanding, high-minded, principled, exemplary; law-abiding, irreproachable, blameless, guiltless, unimpeachable, honest, honorable, reputable, decent, respectable, noble, meritorious; pure, saintly, angelic; informal squeaky clean. ANTONYMS disreputable. ▶noun local worthies: dignitary, personage, VIP, notable, notability, pillar of society, luminary, leading light, big name, grandee; informal heavyweight, bigwig, top dog, big shot, big cheese, big wheel, big kahuna. ANTONYMS nobody. PHRASES be worthy of your opinions are worthy of our consideration: deserve, merit, warrant, rate, justify, earn, be entitled to, qualify for.

Oxford Thesaurus

worthy

worthy adjective Samuel was a worthy and responsible citizen | a worthy cause: virtuous, good, moral, ethical, principled, high-principled, high-minded, right-thinking, noble, upright, upstanding, righteous, solid, decent, law-abiding, honest, honourable, respectable, respected, venerable, reputable, trustworthy, trusty, trusted, reliable, dependable, conscientious, irreproachable, blameless, unimpeachable, exemplary, admirable, praiseworthy, laudable, commendable, estimable, deserving, meritorious, creditable, sterling; informal squeaky clean; archaic of good report; rare applaudable. ANTONYMS disreputable, unworthy. PHRASES be worthy of he believes everyone has ideas that are worthy of attention: deserve, be deserving of, merit, warrant, rate, justify, earn, be entitled to, have a right to, have a claim to /on, be qualified for, qualify for. ANTONYMS be unworthy of, be undeserving of. ▶noun the candidate gained the support of some significant local worthies: dignitary, notable, notability, celebrity, personage, famous person, important person, person of note, luminary, public figure, official, pillar of society, grandee, panjandrum, leading light, name, big name, somebody, someone; informal VIP, top brass, Mr Big, big Daddy, big shot, bigwig, big cheese, big fish, big gun, big noise, celeb, biggie, heavy, hotshot; Brit. informal Lady Muck, Lord Muck, nob; N. Amer. informal big wheel, kahuna, big kahuna, macher, high muckamuck, high muckety-muck. ANTONYMS nobody.

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

worthy

wor thy /wə́ː r ði / (! -th-は /ð /) →worth 形容詞 -thier ; -thiest /more ～; most ～1 〖be worthy of A 〗〈人物事が〉Aに値する , ふさわしい (!Aは名詞動名 ) ; «…するに » 値する «to do » ▸ This question is worthy of study [being studied ].この問題は研究の価値がある (≒This question is worth studying.)▸ be worthy of attention [consideration ]注目 [考慮 ]に値する ▸ The player is worthy to receive our praise .その選手は賞賛を受けるにふさわしい 2 ｟かたく｠〖名詞の前で〗立派な , 尊敬すべき ; ｟皮肉で｠お偉い , ご立派な〈人計画など〉▸ donate money to a worthy cause 立派な目的のために金を寄付する ▸ Tom hated the worthy people around him .トムは周りのお偉方を嫌っていた .Ì 'm [W è 're ] n ò t w ó rthy .｟くだけておどけて｠ご一緒できるなんて身にあまる光栄です, ご一緒するなんて畏れ多い (!著名人と同席したときなどにいう ) .名詞複～thies C ｟かたく｠立派な人 , 名士 ; ｟けなして /おどけて｠お偉方 ▸ local worthies 地元の名士たち .