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worthwhile

adjective
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worth·​while | \ ˈwərth-ˈ(h)wī(-ə)l How to pronounce worthwhile (audio) \

Definition of worthwhile

1 : being worth the time or effort spent worthwhile preparations
2 : worthy sense 1 a worthwhile cause
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Other Words from worthwhile

worthwhileness noun

Examples of worthwhile in a Sentence

The money is for a worthwhile cause. Seeing my children's joy made building the tree house all worthwhile. Is it worthwhile to try to fix my computer?
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Recent Examples on the Web The findings show that examining these fortunate few is worthwhile, says Dale Garsed of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia. — Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | AAAS, "‘Exceptional’ cancer patients yield clues to better drug treatments," 19 Nov. 2020 For beautiful slices that hold their shape, the wait is worthwhile. — Melissa Weller, Bon Appétit, "A Pastry Chef’s Extremely Detailed Guide to Your Best Pie Ever," 17 Nov. 2020 But no cases of virus transmission were detected, and organizers and competitors said the experience had been worthwhile. — Washington Post, "Vaccines and test events make IOC very confident Japan’s Olympics will go ahead with fans," 16 Nov. 2020 The endeavor was worthwhile to achieve a light, custardy pumpkin dessert that highlights the real star — the filling. — Los Angeles Times, "A better pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving that doesn’t need a crust," 12 Nov. 2020 If the early promise of the Pfizer vaccine holds, that could really help persuade people that getting vaccinated against the SARS-2 virus is worthwhile, Fauci said. — Helen Branswell, STAT, "Four reasons for encouragement based on Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine results," 9 Nov. 2020 But Welch and Rawlings, as writers, dig their hands into the mess of a life that is worthwhile despite its messiness. — Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times, "How Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Held Onto Optimism," 3 Nov. 2020 The experience of one patient—Rave Pretorius, a 49-year-old South African man—suggests that continuing this line of research is probably worthwhile. — Stephani Sutherland, Scientific American, "What We Know So Far about How COVID Affects the Nervous System," 22 Oct. 2020 The effort has been worthwhile, Nagy said, even as the process of learning to perform for cameras, without a physical audience and while socially distant, entailed a certain amount of initial fear and awkwardness. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, "Cleveland early-music ensemble Les Delices seizes digital opportunity with online season ‘Embracing Change’," 15 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'worthwhile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of worthwhile

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for worthwhile

Time Traveler

The first known use of worthwhile was in 1662

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Last Updated

23 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Worthwhile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worthwhile. Accessed 3 Dec. 2020.

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More Definitions for worthwhile

worthwhile

adjective
How to pronounce worthwhile (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of worthwhile

: worth doing or getting : good enough, important enough, etc., to be worth spending time, effort, or money on

See the full definition for worthwhile in the English Language Learners Dictionary

worthwhile

adjective
worth·​while | \ ˈwərth-ˈhwīl How to pronounce worthwhile (audio) , -ˈwīl \

Kids Definition of worthwhile

: being worth the time spent or effort used a worthwhile trip

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More from Merriam-Webster on worthwhile

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for worthwhile

Nglish: Translation of worthwhile for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of worthwhile for Arabic Speakers

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