What does "worth" mean?
Value.
Worth
/wɜːθ/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Value.
- Grammar: worth is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dignity, accent, account, ad valorem.
- Useful contrasts: no value, baubles, disgrace.
- Usage evidence: If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
How to use "worth"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "worth" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "worth" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "worth" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "worth" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "worth" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dignity" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "worth", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Value. countable, uncountable
"I’ll have a dollar's worth of candy, please."
- 2 the quality that renders something desirable or valuable or useful wordnet
- 3 Merit, excellence. uncountable
"Our new director is a man whose worth is well acknowledged."
- 4 an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value wordnet
- 5 An amount that could be achieved or produced in a specified time. uncountable
"Although most modern OTDR equipment can store at least eight days' worth of data (in line with current industry standards), when it was downloaded from the Class 57s involved, it was discovered they had stored just over eight hours' worth of data."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 High social standing, noble rank. obsolete, uncountable
"VVhat bee they men of any worth or no? […] No my good Lord, they bee men of no great account, For they bee none but Tylers, Thatchers, Millers, and ſuch like."
Verb
- 1 To be, become, betide. obsolete
"Sonne of man, prophecie and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Howle ye, woe worth the day."
Adjective
- 1 Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for. not-comparable
"How much / What is your house worth? - Now it's worth half what I paid for it. So it'd sure would be worthwhile to repair before putting it for sale."
- 2 Deserving of. not-comparable
"This rickety beater of a car isn’t worth repairing anymore."
- 3 Valuable, worthwhile. not-comparable, obsolete
- 4 Making a fair equivalent of, repaying or compensating. not-comparable
"This job is hardly worth the effort."
Adjective
- 1 having a specified value wordnet
- 2 (often used ironically) worthy of being treated in a particular way wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A placename:; A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish in Dover district, Kent (OS grid ref TR3356). countable, uncountable
- 2 A placename:; A number of places in England:; A civil parish in Mid Sussex district, West Sussex, which formerly included the village. countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename:; A number of places in England:; A village in Crawley borough, West Sussex (OS grid ref TQ3036). countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename:; A number of places in England:; A river in West Yorkshire, the River Worth, which joins the River Aire at Keighley. countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Turner County, Georgia. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A village in Cook County, Illinois. countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A village in Worth County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Jefferson County, New York. countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A number of townships in the United States, listed under Worth Township. countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; Ellipsis of Worth County. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 11 A placename:; A municipality in Herzogtum Lauenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. countable, uncountable
- 12 A surname. countable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "worth"?
Common synonyms include: dignity, accent, account, ad valorem, advantage, advantageousness.
How do you use "worth" in a sentence?
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
How do you pronounce "worth"?
Pronounced /wɜːθ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *werþ, from Proto-Germanic *werþaz (“worthy, valuable”); from Proto-Indo-European *wert-. Cognate with Scots wirth (“worth”), Cimbrian bèart (“worth, value”), Dutch waard, weerd (“worth”), German wert (“worth”), Luxembourgish wäert (“worth”), Yiddish ווערט (vert), ווערד (verd, “worth, value”), Danish værd (“worth”), Faroese and Icelandic verður (“worth”), Norwegian Bokmål verdt (“worth”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“worth”), Swedish värd (“worth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸 (wairþ, “worth, value”), Welsh gwerth (“worth, value”), Polish wart (“worth”), Ukrainian вартість (vartistʹ, “worth, value”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English worthen, wurthen, werthen (“to be; exist; come into being; come into existence”), from Old English weorþan (“to come into being; be made; become; arise; be”), from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to come about; happen; come into being; become”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn; turn out”). Cognate with Dutch worden, dated Low German warrn, German werden, Old Norse verða (Norwegian verta, Swedish varda), Latin vertere.
Etymology 3
From Old English worþ (“enclosure”)