Meanings
- uncountableLack of worship or respect; dishonour; failure or refusal to worship; irreverence.
Whoe'er he be, who on my Queen hath laid Stress of unworship: […]
2017, Madison Cawein, Accolon of Gaul, with Other Poems3 more examples
Some might think that I do little worship to Martha, that special saint, for I liken her words of complaining of her sister unto these worldly men's words, or theirs unto hers : and truly I mean no unworship to her nor to them.
1946, E.Underhill, The Cloud of Unknowing, page 137But whatever the world might think about such men, they are judged 'right shameful before God and all the company of heaven', for before them all sin is shame and 'unworship'.
2011, J. Arnold, S. Brady, What is Masculinity?They hold God in great unworship [contempt] when all day and for nought him call to witness of all that is said, for swearing is no other thing but calling God to witness, and his mother and his holy ones [halzen].
1340, Dan Michel, Ayenbite of Inwyt (overall work in Middle English); quoted in Ashley Montagu, “The History of Swearing”, in The Anatomy of Swearing (paperback), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1967, published 2001, page 123
Origin
- Old Englishunworþsċyp
- Middle Englishunworship, unworschip
- Englishunworship
From Middle English unworship, unworschip, unworschipe, unworschippe, from Old English unworþsċyp, unworþsċype, unweorþsċipe, equivalent to un- + worship.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
unworship. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unworship
“unworship.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unworship. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unworship,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unworship.
Source: unworship on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.