Worthy

Deserving respect, attention, support, or effort.

Reach for it when endorsing a person, cause, or proposal under a clear and humane standard

Affordable legal help is a worthy use of the fund.

• everyday

  important

  when consequences justify attention

  not when Important things can be harmful or urgent without being worthy.

• professional

  deserving

  when entitlement to recognition or support is the direct claim

  not when Deserving can turn rights or care into moral rewards.

• formal

  commendable

  when a specific action merits praise

  not when Commendable evaluates conduct, not whether a cause deserves resources.

• formal

  meritorious

  when achievement or conduct earns formal credit

  not when Meritorious is narrower and more bureaucratic than worthy.

Showing admirable character or quality.

Reach for it when praising conduct that lives up to an entrusted role or ideal

Her worthy response admitted the error and repaired the unpaid invoice.

• warm

  admirable

  when positive regard for a quality or action is natural

  not when Admiration can focus on skill while missing moral worthiness.

• warm

  upstanding

  when consistent decent character should sound personal

  not when Upstanding is person-focused and can sound old-fashioned or socially conformist.

• formal

  honorable

  when integrity and ethical conduct are central

  not when Honorable can invoke status codes and is stronger than generally worthy behavior.

• literary

  noble

  when selfless moral purpose is genuinely exceptional

  not when Noble is grander and can romanticize ordinary decency.

• unworthy
• undeserving
• dishonorable
• shameful

• worthy cause

  Safe housing is a worthy cause, but the plan still needs accountable spending.

• worthy recipient

  Every worthy recipient was assessed under the same published criteria.

• worthy example

  Her transparent correction is a worthy example of responsible leadership.

• Worthily adv.
• Worthiness n.

Do not apply worthy or unworthy to determine who receives basic dignity, rights, or urgent care.

• Wiktionary, English adjective sense: deserving respect or consideration ↗opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
• Wiktionary, English adjective sense: having merit or moral value ↗opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.