unworthy

adjective

un·​wor·​thy ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē 

1

a

: lacking in excellence or value : poor, worthless

b

: base, dishonorable

2

: not meritorious : undeserving

unworthy of attention

3

: not deserved : unmerited

unworthy treatment

4

: inappropriate to one's condition or station

actions unworthy of a gentleman

unworthily

ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hə-lē 

adverb

unworthiness

ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē-nəs 

noun

Examples of unworthy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, some felt her posts implied that Kendrick Lamar was unworthy of receiving the honor himself. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 10 Sep. 2024

Should the majority of military families decide the nation is unworthy of their children’s service, as may already be happening, the AVF will become unsustainable. —Gil Barndollar, Vox, 1 Sep. 2024

Computing power—or compute, in industry parlance—is treated as a boring commodity, unworthy of serious attention. —Ben Buchanan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2020

Concentrate on home and self-improvement instead of trying to please someone unworthy of your trust and affection. —Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 31 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

unworthy

adjective

un·​wor·​thy ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē 

ˈən-

: lacking in excellence or worth : undeserving

unworthily

-t͟hə-lē 

adverb

unworthiness

-t͟hē-nəs 

noun

Legal Definition

unworthy

adjective

un·​wor·​thy

: not meritorious

specifically, in the civil law of Louisiana : being or relating to an heir who is deprived of the right to inherit from a person because of a failure in a duty towards the person

unworthiness noun