not worth the candle
idiom
chiefly British, old-fashioned
: not worth the necessary effort, cost, or trouble
The car is so old that replacing the engine is not worth the candle.
Examples of not worth the candle in a Sentence
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Often, however, the problems run deeper, and the United States must recognize that the game is simply not worth the candle.
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Mara Karlin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
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Mara Karlin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Not worth the candle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20worth%20the%20candle. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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