unworthy

adjective

un·​wor·​thy ˌən-ˈwər-t͟hē 

1

a

: lacking in excellence or value : poor, worthless

b

: base, dishonorable

unworthy conduct

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

Some of those fans just believe the genre to be mostly musically unappealing or unworthy, but others also assume it to be made specifically by and for the MAGA set. — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026

Denigrating the relationship—deciding, for instance, that the rejecter was evil, dishonest, unworthy of your respect or time— devalues your own history, in effect consigning the whole relationship to the trash bin. — George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

Perseverance should not mean blindly continuing toward an unworthy objective. — Kevin Brady, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Afterward, Kushner dismissed his counterparts as unworthy of his time. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for unworthy

• blameworthy
• newsworthy
• noteworthy
• praiseworthy
• trustworthy
• creditworthy
• untrustworthy
• worthy

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