worthless

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worthless [adjective] (NO MONEY)

having no value in money

US /ˈwɝːθ.ləs/ 
UK /ˈwɜːθ.ləs/ 
Example: 

He said the jewels were worthless fakes. 

Oxford Essential Dictionary

worthless

 adjective
having no value or use:
A cheque is worthless if you don't sign it.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

worthless

worthless /ˈwɜːθləs $ ˈwɜːrθ-/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: worth, worthlessness, worthy, unworthiness; adjective: worth, worthless, worthwhile, worthy ≠ unworthy]
1. something that is worthless has no value, importance, or use OPP valuable:
The house was full of worthless junk.
The information was worthless to me.
2. a worthless person has no good qualities or useful skills SYN useless:
His parents had made him feel worthless.
—worthlessness noun [uncountable]:
She struggled to overcome her feelings of worthlessness.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

worthless

worth·less [worthless worthlessness]   [ˈwɜːθləs]    [ˈwɜːrθləs]  adjective
1. having no practical or financial value
• Critics say his paintings are worthless.

Opp:  valuable

2. (of a person) having no good qualities or useful skills
a worthless individual
Constant rejections made him feel worthless.
Derived Word: worthlessness  
Example Bank:
The diseased plants are worthless to the farmer.
The opinion polls were dismissed as worthless.
These contradictions made his evidence worthless.
Constant rejections made her feel worthless.
• He's just a worthless individual.

• Shares in the company are now almost worthless.

worth

 

worth [worth worths] adjective, noun   [wɜːθ]    [wɜːrθ] 

adjective not before noun (used like a preposition, followed by a noun, pronoun or number, or by the -ing form of a verb)
1. ~ sth having a value in money, etc
Our house is worth about £100 000.
How much is this painting worth?
to be worth a bomb/packet/fortune (= a lot of money)
• It isn't worth much.

• If you answer this question correctly, it's worth five points.
2. used to recommend the action mentioned because you think it may be useful, enjoyable, etc.
~ sth The museum is certainly worth a visit.
~ doing sth This idea is well worth considering.

• It's worth making an appointment before you go.
3. ~ sth/doing sth important, good or enjoyable enough to make sb feel satisfied, especially when difficulty or effort is involved
Was it worth the effort?
The new house really wasn't worth all the expense involved.
The job involves a lot of hard work but it's worth it.
The trip was expensive but it was worth every penny.

see also  worthwhile

4. ~ sth (of a person) having money and possessions of a particular value
He's worth £10 million.
more at a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush at  bird, more than your job's worth (to do sth) at  job  
Word Origin:
Old English w(e)orth (adjective and noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch waard and German wert.  
Synonyms:
price
cost value expense worth
These words all refer to the amount of money that you have to pay for sth.
pricethe amount of money that you have to pay for an item or service: house prices How much are these? They don't have a price on them. I can't afford it at that price .
costthe amount of money that you need in order to buy, make or do sth: A new computer system has been installed at a cost of £80 000.
valuehow much sth is worth in money or other goods for which it can be exchanged: The winner will receive a prize to the value of £1 000.
Especially in British English, value can also mean how much sth is worth compared with its price: This restaurant is excellent value (= is worth the money it costs) .
price, cost or value?
The price is what sb asks you to pay for an item or service: to ask/charge a high price ◊ to ask/charge a high cost/value. Obtaining or achieving sth may have a cost; the value of sth is how much other people would be willing to pay for it: house prices the cost of moving house The house now has a market value of one million pounds.
expensethe money that you spend on sth; sth that makes you spend money: The garden was transformed at great expense . Running a car is a big expense.
worththe financial value of sb/sth: He has a personal net worth of $10 million.
Worth is more often used to mean the practical or moral value of sth.
the high price/cost/value
the real/true price/cost/value/worth
to put/set a price/value on sth
to increase/reduce the price/cost/value/expense
to raise/double/lower the price/cost/value
to cut the price/cost 
Example Bank:
It's so unimportant it's hardly worth mentioning.
Most of the candidates were not considered worth interviewing.
This book is well worth reading.
This order is potentially worth millions of pounds to the company.
It isn't worth much.
Our house is worth about $300 000.
• to be worth a bomb/packet/fortune

Idioms: for all it is worth  for what it's worth  not worth the candle  not worth the paper it's written on  worth its salt  worth its weight in gold  worth somebody's while 

noun uncountable
1. ten dollars', £40, etc. ~ of sth an amount of sth that has the value mentioned
• The winner will receive ten pounds' worth of books.

• a dollar's worth of change

2. a week's, month's, etc. ~ of sth an amount of sth that lasts a week, etc.

3. the financial, practical or moral value of sb/sth
Their contribution was of great worth.
The activities help children to develop a sense of their own worth.
A good interview enables candidates to prove their worth (= show how good they are).
a personal net worth of $10 million
see put in your two cents' worth at  cent  n., get your money's worth at  money  
Word Origin:
Old English w(e)orth (adjective and noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch waard and German wert.  
Example Bank:
Asking for advice from people affirms their personal worth.
Can you give me some estimate of its worth?
Cutting out the debts will increase your net worth.
He never contributed anything of worth to the conversation.
I only found out its real worth when I tried to buy another one.
She has no sense of her own worth.
She knows her own worth.
Some experts doubt the economic worth of the project.
Study has an intrinsic worth, as well as helping you achieve your goals.
The emergency lighting has proved its worth this year.
The insurance company agreed to pay the car's current market worth.
They are looking for a new sales manager of proven worth.
They don't appreciate her at her real worth.
This necklace isn't worth anything in money terms, but its worth to me is incalculable.
A good job interview should help candidates prove their worth.
• He has a personal net worth of $10 million.

• The children here quickly gain a sense of their own worth.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

worth

worth (IMPORTANCE) /wɜːθ/ US /wɝːθ/
noun [U]
the importance or usefulness of something or someone:
He felt as though he had no worth.
She has proved her worth on numerous occasions.
The study proved that women were paid less than men holding jobs of comparable worth.

worth /wɜːθ/ US /wɝːθ/
adjective
1 be worth sth to be important or interesting enough to receive a particular action:
I think this matter is worth our attention.
When you're in Reykjavik, the National Museum is worth a visit.

2 be worth having/doing sth to be important or useful to have or do:
There's nothing worth reading in this newspaper.
If you are a young, inexperienced driver, it is worth having comprehensive insurance.
It's worth remembering that prices go up on February 1st.

worthless /ˈwɜːθ.ləs/ US /ˈwɝːθ-/
adjective
unimportant or useless:
She was criticised so much by her employers that she began to feel worthless.

worthlessness /ˈwɜːθ.lə.snəs/ US /ˈwɝːθ-/
noun [U]
People who have been abused as children often experience feelings/a sense of worthlessness.

worth (MONEY) /wɜːθ/ US /wɝːθ/
noun [U]
1 the amount of money which something can be sold for; value:
The estimated worth of the plastics and petrochemical industry is about $640 billion.

2 £20/$100, etc. worth of sth the amount of something that you could buy for £20/$100, etc:
$4 million worth of souvenirs and gift items have been produced for the event.

worth /wɜːθ/ US /wɝːθ/
adjective
1 having a particular value, especially in money:
Our house is worth about £200 000.
Heroin worth about $5 million was seized.

2 INFORMAL possessing a particular amount of money:
She must be worth at least half a million.

worthless /ˈwɜːθ.ləs/ US /ˈwɝːθ-/
adjective
having no value in money:
The company's shares are now virtually worthless shares.
He said the jewels were worthless fakes.

worthlessness /ˈwɜːθ.lə.snəs/ US /ˈwɝːθ-/
noun [U]

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

worthless

[wɜ͟ː(r)θləs]
 1) ADJ-GRADED Something that is worthless is of no real value or use.
  The guarantee could be worthless if the firm goes out of business...
  Training is worthless unless there is proof that it works.
  ...a worthless piece of old junk.
  Syn:
  useless
 2) ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ Someone who is described as worthless is considered to have no good qualities or skills.
  You feel you really are completely worthless and unlovable.
  Derived words:
  worthlessness N-UNCOUNT ...feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

worthless

worth·less /ˈwɚɵləs/ adj [more ~; most ~]
1 a : having no financial value
worthless coins/stocks
b : having no use, importance, or effect
• This land is worthless [=useless] for agriculture.
• The boots may be nice, but they're worthless if they don't fit you.
• a worthless guarantee
• an uninformed, worthless opinion
2 : having no good qualities
• a worthless coward
• She's depressed and believes that she's worthless.
- worth·less·ness noun [noncount]
• feelings of worthlessness
• the worthlessness of his argument