unworthiness

U1N1W4O1R1T1H4I1N1E1S1S1

noun

The characteristic or condition of being unworthy.

Similar
inappropriateness
Opposite
worthiness
OriginMiddle English unworthynesse →
UncommonScrabble 18
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noununworthiness (countable and uncountable, plural unworthinesses)

plural unworthinesses

  1. countableuncountableThe characteristic or condition of being unworthy.

    Fer. VVherefore weepe you ? Mir. At mine vnworthineſſe, that dare not offer / VVhat I deſire to giue ; and much leſſe take / VVhat I ſhall die to want :[…]

    1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 11

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe quality or state of lacking merit or value

Opposite
worthiness
Broader
badbadness

nounthe quality of being not particularly suitable or befitting

Similar
inappropriateness
Broader
unsuitabilityunsuitablenessineptness
Also see
inappropriatenessunworthness

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishunworthynesse
  2. Englishunworthiness

From Middle English unworthynesse; equivalent to unworthy + -ness or un- + worthiness.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan indignitat
  • indignitatthe characteristic or condition of being unworthy
French indignité
  • indignitéthe characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Greek αναξιότητα, αναξιοσύνη
  • αναξιότητα (anaxiótita)the characteristic or condition of being unworthy
  • αναξιοσύνη (anaxiosýni)the characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Hindi अपात्रता, अयोग्यता
  • अपात्रता (apātratā)the characteristic or condition of being unworthy
  • अयोग्यता (ayogyatā)the characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Italian indegnità
  • indegnitàthe characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Japanese 不肖
  • 不肖 (fushō)the characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Latin indignitās
  • indignitāsthe characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Portuguese indignidade
  • indignidadethe characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Spanish indignidad
  • indignidadthe characteristic or condition of being unworthy
Cite this entry
APA

unworthiness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unworthiness

MLA

“unworthiness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unworthiness. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unworthiness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unworthiness.

Source: unworthiness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.