worthwhile

[ wurth-hwahyl, -wahyl ]

adjective

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

   a worthwhile book.

   Synonyms: beneficial, rewarding, valuable

worthwhile

/ ˌwɜːθˈwaɪl /

adjective

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

Other Words From

• worthwhileness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of worthwhile¹

First recorded in 1865–70; worth ¹ + while

Example Sentences

Credit also goes to elected leaders, including former Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilmember Nithya Raman, who seized the moment to advance worthwhile reforms.

From Los Angeles Times

“They’re saying, ‘We don’t expect you to end the season in profit, just serve the community and make sure they feel like their tax dollars have gone to something worthwhile,’” Alexander said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Budapest: lovely. Paycheck: lovely. Costumes: lovely. But most importantly, is the acting worthwhile? Is this something of interest to someone at my stage in my career? I’ve got stuff I want to do. I don’t want to be marking time. And this absolutely felt worth it.”

From Los Angeles Times

On the contrary, he said, “myths and stories are collective sense-making. It’s how we understand the world and helps us to do the things that make life worthwhile, feeling wonder, mystery, pain, excitement, and sharing that with others.”

From Los Angeles Times

An unrelenting second-half display, during which the clinical Parkhead side added a further three goals, proves the manager's ruthless demands were worthwhile as they delivered an ominous message to their overwhelmed opposition.

From BBC

Related Words

• advantageous
• beneficial
• constructive
• excellent
• good
• important
• invaluable
• justifiable
• lucrative
• productive
• profitable
• rewarding
• useful
• valuable
• worthy