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worthwhile

American  
[wurth-hwahyl, -wahyl] / ˈwɜrθˈʰwaɪl, -ˈwaɪl /

adjective

  1. such as to repay one's time, attention, interest, work, trouble, etc..

    a worthwhile book.
    Synonyms:
    beneficial, rewarding, valuable
worthwhile British  
/ ˌwɜːθˈwaɪl /

adjective

  1. sufficiently important, rewarding, or valuable to justify time or effort spent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • worthwhileness noun

Etymology

Origin of worthwhile

First recorded in 1865–70; worth 1 + while

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the winter, a trip to L.A. is a nice escape from the snow, but this year Frieze and Post would make the journey worthwhile no matter the weather.

From The Wall Street Journal

Is there anything about your job that you find meaningful or worthwhile enough to make it feasible to stay?

From MarketWatch

They believed the public was being manipulated by leaders in the media who continued to treat the spirit “delusion” as worthwhile to report as facts.

From Literature

There's so much that he says is valid and worthwhile.

From Barron's

For him, that made it worthwhile to wager effectively everything outside of his retirement accounts and home equity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.