▪ I. unworthy, a., adv., n.
(ʌnˈwɜːðɪ)
[un-1 7. Cf. MDu. onwerdich (Du. onwaardig), OS. unwerđig, MLG. unwerdich, OHG. unwirdîg (MHG. unwirdic, -ec, G. unwürdig), ON. {uacu}verðugr (Norw. uverdug, Sw. ovärdig, Da. uværdig), also unworth and wanwordy adjs.]
A. adj. I. 1. Of things: Deficient in worth; having little or no value; worthless.
In later use chiefly ellipt. from 3 b.
| a 1240 Wohunge in O.E. Hom. I. 281 Ne was neauer unwurði þing chepet swa deore. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 196 Ane hamelat neir thair-by, A litill toune and vnworthy. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. cxv. (Bodl. MS.), Barlich..haþ þe fouleste strawe of alle corne & vnworthieste stobles. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xiii. 43 Loo! what I haue suffred for the, where as I put non vnworthier thing for the then my owne body. c 1445 Pecock Donet 33 Whanne a man..beriþ in his hond sum pore vnworþi sticke. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 896 Myn accustomed poore and unworthy servyce. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 228 France being ours, wee'l bend it to our Awe..Or lay these bones in an vnworthy Vrne. 1618 J. Taylor (Water P.) Penniless Pilgr. D 2, My poore vnable and vnworthy pen. 1634 Bp. Hall Contempl., N.T. iv. vi, Our weak and unworthy prayers. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 517 Whose leaves..become the unworthy browse Of buffaloes. 1819 Shelley Cenci iii. i. 129 These limbs, the unworthy temple of Thy spirit. 1854 Poultry Chron. II. 78/1 To withhold..prizes in any of the classes in which the specimens are deemed unworthy. |
b. Not reputable; hurtful or injurious to reputation; discreditable.
| 1693 Dryden Exam. Poet. Ded. ¶1 A kind of contempt for those who have risen by unworthy ways. 1735 Thomson Liberty iii. 376 Unworthy joys! that wasteful leave behind..No secret ray to glad the conscious soul. 1795–6 Wordsw. Borderers i. 255, I suspect unworthy tales Have reached his ear. 1813 Shelley Q. Mab v. 163 Blunting the keenness of his spiritual sense With narrow schemings and unworthy cares. 1882 Besant All Sorts xxvi, She repressed her indignation at this unworthy suggestion. |
2. Of persons: Not worthy; lacking worth or merit; undeserving; hence, despicable, contemptible.
| α a 1240 Wohunge in O.E. Hom. I. 279 Schomeliche spateling of unwurði ribauz. a 1300 Cursor M. 23882 Amang þaa hirdes am i an, Sa wreche vnworthi wat i nan. c 1375 Ibid. 20015 (Fairf.), Al if I be vn-worþi man. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) iii. 10 He pryues þaim þat him think vnworthy. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 302 Quhen princis prayis for unworthy personis, God is offendit. 1535 Coverdale Ecclus. xxix. 32 Yet shall he be taken as vnworthy, & heare many bytter rough wordes. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. i. 37 So may I..Misse that which one vnworthier may attaine. 1617 Woodall Surg. Mate Pref., Wks. (1639) B 3, Unworthy impostors under the names of Surgeons. 1686 W. de Britaine Hum. Prud. xi. 49 External Fortunes may befal the un⁓worthyest Persons. 1737 E. Lewis Let. to Swift 30 June, [A] family..brought to ruin by that unworthy man lord Kinnoul. 1823 Scott Quentin D. xv, Campo-basso, the un⁓worthy favourite of Duke Charles, with..his base, treacherous spirit. 1835 James Gipsy iii, An unworthy blackguard of that name. 1846 A. Marsh Father Darcy II. viii. 136 The authority confided to me—unworthy—by the church. |
| absol. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 52 He þat geuys þe giftys..to vnworthy and to hem þat has non nede. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 59 Fortune..sumtymes fauoureth the vnworthyest. 1602 [see spurn n.1 4]. a 1658 Lovelace Poems (1659) 30 'Tis the same wrong th' unworthy to inthrone. 1864 Fox tr. K. ælfred's Boeth. (1895) 97 Canst thou now understand how great dishonour power brings on the un⁓worthy when he receives it? |
| β c 1475 Cath. Angl. 424/1 (A.), Vn Wordy, jndignus, jgnobilis. 1796 R. Gall Tint Quey (1819) 29 This is a bonny speech..To come frae your unwordy head. c 1820 Hogg Tales & Sk. (1837) II. 147 Ah! the unwordy rascal! |
b. Conventionally or devotionally used as an expression of humility.
| c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 1036 Written by your unworthy servant. 1660 R. Allestree Gentl. Calling 171 O most..bountiful Lord, who..hast in an extraordinary measure abounded to me thy unworthiest Servant. a 1700 in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. IX. 334 Str Agnes of the Jnfant Jesus. Priouresse unworthy. 1754 Ibid. VIII. 249 S[iste]r Agnes Howard Abbess unw[orth]y. |
3. With const. Not of sufficient merit, excellence, or worth. a. With to (Sc. † till) and inf. (Chiefly of persons.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 14927 Crist and his moder do me to spede! Þat vn-worthi es for to rede. a 1310 in Wright Spec. Lyric P. 73 Jesu, thah ich be unworthi To love the. c 1400 Destr. Troy ii. 629, I wot me vnworthy þis wirdis to fall. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iv. iii. 428 Thanne bi lijk argument..ech gouernaunce and ech thing..weren vnleeful and vnworthi to be had and vsid. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2709, I am vnworthy..Slike hy degre to come toward. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 84 b, Proclamynge themselfe synners & vnworthy to lyue. 1563 A. Nowell in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 21 [To] iudge whether it [= his MS. Catechism] were not unwoorthie..to be maide publike. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxvii. 159 He..is..thought unworthy to have any charge, or preferment in Warre. 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 91 Since hee [sc. man] permits Within himself unworthie Powers to reign Over free Reason. 1671 ― P.R. iv. 346 The rest [are]..unworthy to compare With Sion's songs. 1715 Pope Iliad ii. 862 His troops in forty ships Podarces led,..Nor he unworthy to command the host. 1789 Cowper Queen's Visit 67 The cumb'rous throng, Not else unworthy to be fear'd. 1827 Pollok Course T. i. 121 Unworthy is your servant To stand in presence of the King. 1865 Kingsley Herew. xl, His soul, unworthy to be delivered from evil. |
b. With of, † to, † for (something specifed), or clause.
| 1382 Wyclif Tobit iii. 19 Or I was vnwrthi to hem, or thei parauenture to me weren not wrthi. ― Acts xiii. 46 Ȝe..han demed vs vnworthi of [1388 to] euere lasting lyf. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 359 Lord, vndigne and vnworthy Am I, to thilke honour. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Amicitia indigni, vnworthy of friendship. 1589 Hakluyt Voy. To Rdr. ¶9, I accompt him vnworthy of future fauours. 1608 Shakes. Per. ii. v. 40, I am unworthy for her schoolmaster. 1615 Sir W. Mure Misc. Poems xiv. 14 Quhich endit ye dayes of this sensuall slaue, Wnwordy the earth sould ȝeild him a graue. 1674 Jackson's Recant. A 4, I thought my self unworthy of a forreign Plantation. 1784 Cowper Task iii. 731 Neglected Nature pines, Abandon'd, as unworthy of our love. 1823 Mrs. Hemans Siege Valencia ii. 157 The noble daughter of Pelayo's line Hath nought to ask, unworthy of the name Which is a nation's heritage. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 250 Nor did he appear to the public unworthy of his high fortunes. |
c. Of superior worth or merit. (Const. to.)
| 1746 Francis tr. Hor., Sat. ii. ii. 139 Why lives in deep Distress A Man unworthy to be poor? |
4. a. Of treatment, etc.: Not deserved, warranted, or justified; unmerited.
Chiefly of treatment, fortune, etc., below the deserts or merit of the person or persons concerned.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Macc. xiv. 42 Cheesynge for to dye nobly, rather than..aȝeinis his birthis for to be ledd with vnworthi wrongis. a 1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula etc. 30 It seemeþ..vnworþi for to vse wele þingis y-giffe þat kan noȝt gette hym mo þingis. 1533 Bellenden Livy iv. viii, With mony vthir nocht vnwourthy lovingis. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 402 b, This vnworthie and lamentable fortune of the Norinbergians. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. iv. 34 He inly touched was With tender ruth for her vnworthy griefe. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 146 [They] ceased not..vntill they had wrought his vnworthie destruction. 1648 T. Beaumont Psyche vii. cxviii, The holy Travellers through Cold..And northern Blasts, took their unworthy way. 1700 Dryden Theodore & Hon. 127 Mov'd with unworthy Usage of the Maid. 1854 Trench Synonyms N.T. 194 Absolutely unworthy suffering there is none. 1879 Froude Cæsar xxii. 368 The unworthy treatment of their great enemy. |
† b. Dishonouring, low, mean. Const. to. Obs.
| 1694 J. Collier Misc. Ess. i. i. 33 How unworthy and unchristian it is to play upon the Indigence..of another. |
5. That has not requisite worth or merit; inferior to or below what is merited or deserved; base.
| 1533 Bellenden Livy ii. xiv. (S.T.S.) I. 184 Thinkand richt vnworthy þat þare hail sollicitude..was direkkit to na vthir fyne. 1598 Yong Diana 130 This villany did the traitor Alfeus work,..for the contempt, which she had of his vnwoorthy affection. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. xiii. 84 Your Cæsars Father oft..Bestow'd his lips on that vnworthy place, As it rain'd kisses. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ iii. iii. §4 Far be such unworthy thoughts from our apprehensions of a Deity. 1760 Impostors Detected iv. iii. II. 190, I represented to him how unworthy the profession..was to one of his character. 1820 Lamb True Story Wks. 1908 I. 256 A little festival..(though it must bear an unworthier name)..in honour of her guest's recovery. |
b. Beneath or below, unbecoming or unbefitting, the character, repute, or dignity of a person, etc.; not worthy or deserving of notice, etc.
| 1697 Dryden æneis xii. 1156 A wound unworthy of our state to feel. 1700 ― Pref. Fables ¶14 Some people [think]..these tales..unworthy of my pains. 1733 Pope Let. to Swift 2 April, I will take care to suppress things unworthy of him. 1780 Mirror No. 73, Some of them are new, and not unworthy of notice. 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey I. 303 A series of domestic tragedies..hardly unworthy of the palace of Atreus at Mycenæ. |
II. With ellipse of of.
6. Not deserving, meriting, or worthy of. a. Of persons. † Also absol.
| 1382 Wyclif Job xxx. 2 Thei weren trowid vnwrthi that lif [L. vita ipsa indigni]. ― Ecclus. xxv. 11 Blisful..[is he] that seruede not to the vnwrthi hymself [L. indignis se]. 1535 Lett. Suppress. Monast. (Camden) 103 The poore house which I under God..(though unworthye suche a cure) have hadde mynistration and rule of. a 1589 Palfreyman Baldwin's Mor. Philos. (1600) 64 b, Hee is..much vnworthy honour, that seeketh his owne wealth and oppresseth other. 1600 Shakes. Much Ado ii. iii. 216 (Q.), How much he is vnworthy so good a lady. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 219 Iorwerth..was thought vnworthy the Crowne and dignitie. 1718 Pope Iliad ix. 88 Curs'd is the man,..Unworthy property, unworthy light,..who delights in war. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho li, She again beheld..Valancourt unworthy the esteem and tenderness she had once bestowed upon him. 1836 Dickens Sk. Boz, New Year, Until he proves himself unworthy the confidence we repose in him. 1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life III. 78 This only shows you are quite unworthy such luck. |
b. Of things, etc.
| 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 207 A place not vnworthy the remembrance. 1661 Earl of Orrery St. Lett. (1742) 18 It may not be unworthy your grace's observation, that [etc.]. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 6 All other themes..Are worn with use, unworthy me to write. 1718 Prior Poems Postscr., A Panegyric, not unworthy the Pen of some future Pliny. 1765 Museum Rust. IV. 334 Agriculture..is..not unworthy even the patriot's care. 1809 Syd. Smith Serm. II. 335 Many men..imagine, that this department of medicine is unworthy the name of science. 1832 R. & J. Lander Exped. Niger I. i. 26 Nothing seemed unworthy his acceptance, from fine scarlet cloth to a child's farthing whistle. 1882 Daily News 19 Aug. 4/7 Nor is it unworthy notice that [etc.]. |
7. Not befitting or suiting (a person, etc.); derogatory to the dignity, standing, or character of; below the level of.
| 1646 H. Lawrence Comm. Angells 99 Other sins have their aggravations; but this is..the most unworthy a man. 1682 B. Whitelocke's Mem. Pref., His posthumous work contains..many things most false, and unworthy so great a name. 1720 Pope Iliad xx. 244 Unmanly pride, Unworthy the high race from which we came. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. III. lii. 128 Rigours..unworthy men of their profession. 1798 S. & Ht. Lee Canterb. T., Yng. Lady's T. II. 394 For her father to expatiate on such baubles, was unworthy both his experience and sex. 1810 Southey Kehama vii. v, The wings of Eagle or of Cherubim Had seem'd unworthy him. 1852 J. H. Newman Idea of a University (1873) 53 It would..have been unworthy a genius..so analytical as Aristotle's, to have laid it down that [etc.]. 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay i, A silly after-glow of boyish folly, unworthy his experience and maturity. |
B. adv. Unworthily: in a manner unworthy of (something). Also ellipt. (cf. 6–7).
| 1661 Earl of Orrery St. Lett. (1742) 19 This would engage him to walk not unworthy such an honour. 1708 Caldwell Papers (Maitl. Club) I. 217 Our sins in walking unworthy of y⊇ great mercy God hath blest us with. 1740 Richardson Pamela (1741) II. 377, I hope I shall not behave unworthy of the good Instructions. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1792) V. 43 Letting him know how unworthy he should have acted by his daughter, had he imposed..upon her. 1804 E. de Acton Tale without Title III. 7 Let us not act unworthy of beings who have a hope in futurity. |
C. n. An unworthy person.
Used only in expressed or implied contrast to worthy n.
| 1616 Breton Good & Badde (title-p.), Descriptions of the Worthies, and Vnworthies of this Age. Where The Best may see their Graces, and the Worst discerne their Basenesse. a 1661 Fuller Worthies i. (1662) 73 The Worthies of England being your Subject, you have mingled many Unworthies among them. 1886 Encycl. Brit. XX. 614/2 John Wilmot..was one of the unworthies of the reign..of Charles II. 1893 E. Peacock in N. & Q. 22 July 72 Bothwell, Knox,..and other worthies and unworthies of the troubled Marian period. |
▪ II. † unˈworthy, v. Obs. rare.
[un-2 6 a, or f. prec. Cf. unworth v., MHG. unwirdigen, and G. entwürdigen.]
1. trans. To dishonour; to do discredit to.
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 35 Þis is sunne, & ec uncunnelicheð þe, & unwurðcheð [v.r. unwurdgeð] þi bodi. |
| 1628 Feltham Resolves ii. liii. 156 b, To feed that dispersiue humour, all wayes shall be trodden, though they never so much vnworthy the man. |
2. To asperse or vilify. Hence unˈworthying ppl. a.
| 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 459 They know not how to raise their slender Merits, but by levelling others that excell them in any thing, with their unworthying Tongues. |