worthy

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
worthy
    adj 1: having worth or merit or value; being honorable or
           admirable; "a worthy fellow"; "a worthy cause" [ant:
           {unworthy}]
    2: worthy of being chosen especially as a spouse; "the parents
       found the girl suitable for their son" [syn: {desirable},
       {suitable}, {worthy}]
    3: having qualities or abilities that merit recognition in some
       way; "behavior worthy of reprobation"; "a fact worthy of
       attention"
    n 1: an important, honorable person (word is often used
         humorously); "he told his story to some conservative
         worthies"; "local worthies rarely challenged the chief
         constable"
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Worthy \Wor"thy\, n.; pl. {Worthies}.
   A man of eminent worth or value; one distinguished for useful
   and estimable qualities; a person of conspicuous desert; --
   much used in the plural; as, the worthies of the church;
   political worthies; military worthies.
   [1913 Webster]

         The blood of ancient worthies in his veins. --Cowper.
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from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Worthy \Wor"thy\, a. [Compar. {Worthier}; superl. {Worthiest.}]
   [OE. worthi, wur[thorn]i, from worth, wur[thorn], n.; cf.
   Icel. ver[eth]ugr, D. waardig, G. w["u]rdig, OHG.
   wird[imac]g. See {Worth}, n.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. Having worth or excellence; possessing merit; valuable;
      deserving; estimable; excellent; virtuous.
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            Full worthy was he in his lordes war. --Chaucer.
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            These banished men that I have kept withal
            Are men endued with worthy qualities. --Shak.
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            Happier thou mayst be, worthier canst not be.
                                                  --Milton.
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            This worthy mind should worthy things embrace. --Sir
                                                  J. Davies.
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   2. Having suitable, adapted, or equivalent qualities or
      value; -- usually with of before the thing compared or the
      object; more rarely, with a following infinitive instead
      of of, or with that; as, worthy of, equal in excellence,
      value, or dignity to; entitled to; meriting; -- usually in
      a good sense, but sometimes in a bad one.
      [1913 Webster]

            No, Warwick, thou art worthy of the sway. --Shak.
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            The merciless Macdonwald,
            Worthy to be a rebel.                 --Shak.
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            Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.  --Matt. iii.
                                                  11.
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            And thou art worthy that thou shouldst not know
            More happiness.                       --Milton.
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            The lodging is well worthy of the guest. --Dryden.
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   3. Of high station; of high social position. [Obs.]
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            Worthy women of the town.             --Chaucer.
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   {Worthiest of blood} (Eng. Law of Descent), most worthy of
      those of the same blood to succeed or inherit; -- applied
      to males, and expressive of the preference given them over
      females. --Burrill.
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from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Worthy \Wor"thy\, v. t.
   To render worthy; to exalt into a hero. [Obs.] --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
237 Moby Thesaurus words for "worthy":
      Christian, Establishment, VIP, able, acceptable, acceptable person,
      admirable, admissible, aristocratic, au fait, august, baron,
      beyond all praise, beyond price, big gun, big man, big name,
      bigwig, blameless, brass, brass hat, capable, capital fellow,
      celebrity, clean, commendable, competent, constellation, courtly,
      creditable, cynosure, dear, decent, deserved, deserving, desirable,
      diamond, dignified, dignitary, dignity, divine, earned, efficient,
      elder, eligible, enfranchised, entitled, equal to, erect, esteemed,
      estimable, ethical, exemplary, fair, father, figure, fit, fitted,
      fitted for, folk hero, full of integrity, galaxy, gem, gentleman,
      golden, good, good as gold, good fellow, good lot, good man,
      good person, good sort, good woman, grand, grave, great man,
      held in esteem, hero, heroine, high-minded, high-principled,
      highly esteemed, highly regarded, highly reputed,
      highly respectable, honest, honest man, honorable, honored, idol,
      immaculate, immortal, important person, imposing, in favor,
      in good odor, in high favor, inestimable, interests, invaluable,
      inviolate, irreproachable, jewel, journeyman, just, justified,
      kingly, lady, laudable, law-abiding, law-loving, law-revering,
      lion, lordly, lords of creation, luminaries, luminary, magisterial,
      magnate, majestic, man of mark, manly, master spirit, mensch,
      merited, meritorious, model, mogul, moral, nabob, name, noble,
      notability, notable, of great price, panjandrum, pearl,
      perfect gentleman, perfect lady, person of note, person of renown,
      persona grata, personage, personality, pillar of society, pleasing,
      pleiad, pop hero, popular hero, popular idol, power, power elite,
      praiseworthy, precious, prestigious, priceless, prince, princely,
      principled, public figure, pure, qualified, queenly, real man,
      regal, reputable, respectable, respected, revered, reverend, rich,
      right, right sort, right-minded, righteous, rough diamond, royal,
      ruling circle, sachem, satisfying, sedate, sober, social lion,
      solemn, somebody, something, spotless, stainless, star, stately,
      statuesque, sterling, suitable, suited, superstar, the great,
      the top, top brass, top people, true-dealing, true-devoted,
      true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted, tycoon,
      unblemished, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undefiled, unexceptionable,
      unimpeachable, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, untarnished, up to,
      up to snuff, upright, uprighteous, upstanding, valuable, venerable,
      venerated, very important person, virtuous, warranted,
      well-deserving, well-earned, well-fitted, well-qualified,
      well-suited, well-thought-of, with voice, with vote, worshipful,
      yeomanly

    

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