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

He wasn’t stranded on an unworthy roster as a rookie the way Bedard was. —Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025

While the company, its car dealers, factory workers and white-collar engineers were all urging Congress to back Chrysler, news outlets aired interviews with people who denounced the auto industry and criticized the company as unworthy of a government loan. —Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 31 Dec. 2024

The play’s supernatural subtext was always a cheap theatrical gimmick, unconvincing and unworthy of Wilson’s seriousness about black Americans escaping imposed Christianity and developing their own skepticism. —Armond White, National Review, 27 Dec. 2024

Some fan accounts implied Blanco was unworthy of the actor and pop star. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 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