Indign

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not worthy of receiving something, especially respect or honor
2. Lacking the merit or dignity that would justify receiving favorable treatment
3. Unsuitable to receive or merit, particularly in regard to honor, respect, or good treatment

Etymology: "Indign" is an archaic English adjective meaning unworthy or undeserving, and it reached English by way of Middle French "indigne," which in turn came from Latin "indignus." The Latin word is built from "in-," meaning "un-," and "dignus," meaning "worthy" or "dignified," so the core idea is simply "not worthy." That root is the same one behind the more familiar "dignity" and "dignify," which share the sense of being worthy of respect or honour. "Indign" is the negative counterpart: where "dignity" describes a person or thing that merits esteem, "indign" describes one that falls short of it. The word has largely dropped out of everyday use, surviving mainly in older literature and in the way it preserves the Latin pattern of prefixing a negative onto a word of worth.

Synonyms: unworthy, undeserving

Antonyms: worthy, deserving