worthwhile

Etymology

It is a compound from English worth + while, from the older phrase “worth the while”, which Etymonline dates to the late 14th century.^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Worth the time or effort spent: the OED, revising its entry in 2017, has a first example from 1565, in John Rastell's Replie against Jewel.^[2] Merriam-Webster gives 1662^[5] and Etymonline "by the 1660s".^[3]

Semantic evolution

The words were long written separately, usually after a verb, as in "it is worth while";^[4][3] the one-word form is recorded from the late 19th century,^[3] and Dictionary.com dates it to 1865–70.^[6] With the, it has been used as a noun for what is worthwhile, or the quality of being worthwhile, since 1848.^[2]

Timeline

• late 14th century – worth the while.^[3]
• 1565 – worth the time or effort.^[2]
• 1662 – first use in Merriam-Webster.^[5]
• 1848 – noun: the worthwhile.^[2]
• late 19th century – written as one word.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Worth the time, money or effort spent; rewarding or useful: Learning a language is a worthwhile project.

Word family

• worthwhileness

Related words

• worth
• while
• worthy

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House