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Meaning & use

being worthy

phrase·Advanced

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UK/ˌbiːɪŋ ˈwɜːði/
US/ˌbiːɪŋ ˈwɜːrði/

Meanings

  1. phrase

    the state of deserving respect, love, or attention

    Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it often appears with 'of' or 'to' to show what someone deserves, as in 'being worthy of praise'.

    Patterns

    • being worthy of something
    • being worthy to do something
    • being worthy means ...

    She struggled with feelings of being worthy after the criticism.

    Being worthy of trust takes time and consistent honesty.

    He questioned whether he was being worthy of such a high honor.

  2. phrase

    having enough value or importance to be considered or treated in a certain way

    Grammar: Used to talk about things or ideas, not just people, as in 'The idea is being worthy of further study.'

    Patterns

    • being worthy of consideration
    • being worthy of note
    • being worthy of attention

    The proposal is being worthy of serious discussion.

    Her achievement is being worthy of national recognition.

    Only a few of the applications were being worthy of a second look.

Common combinations

being worthy of praise
His efforts are being worthy of praise even if the result was not perfect.
being worthy of trust
Being worthy of trust is more important than being popular.
being worthy of attention
The issue is being worthy of attention from policymakers.
a sense of being worthy
Therapy helped her develop a sense of being worthy.

Synonyms and how they differ

deserving
Deserving is more neutral and often used for specific rewards, while 'being worthy' suggests a deeper quality of value.
meritorious
This is formal and means deserving reward or praise, but it is less common in everyday speech than 'being worthy'.
valuable
Valuable focuses on worth or usefulness, while 'being worthy' often focuses on moral or personal deservingness.

Opposites

being unworthybeing undeserving

Word family

worth noun
The value or importance of something.
worthy adjective
Deserving respect, attention, or support.
worthiness noun
The quality of being worthy.

Commonly confused: being worthy or worth?

being worthy vs worth

Worth is a noun meaning value, while 'being worthy' is about deserving something. 'He is worth a lot' is about money; 'He is worthy of respect' is about deserving.

Practice

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