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Glite Dictionary
worth every penny

worth every penny

13 3.4
Gives good value for the money spent
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : vale cada céntimo (España)
  • Emma tonight at Norris's shindig, radiant in that new organza, a terrible splurge for her birthday but worth every penny.
  • Expensive, but worth every penny

By the way, this thing is so worth every penny.

Examples

  • I think your hat is beautiful and worth every penny you are asking for it.

    Blog text (1)

  • Keynote ($6.99) - Absolutely the best presentation tool for the iPad, and it was worth every penny and then some.

    Blog text (27)

  • Can I just say, this school of yours is worth every penny I paid?

    Push (2006)

  • I used to go without a lot to do it, but to me it was worth every penny.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Let me encourage you to get the deal while you can, as it is definitely worth every penny!

    Blog text (6)

  • Cost was $1600 and worth every penny for the peace of mind.

    Blog text (20)

  • Any toy that can bring on imaginative play for that long is a great toy and worth every penny.

    Blog text (28)

  • The Checkpoint Flyer turned out to be worth every penny.

    Blog text (23)

  • This concert was amazing; it was worth every penny I spent on the tickets.

  • The hotel was luxurious and truly worth every penny I paid for my stay.

Synonyms

worth it
vsworth every penny
  • Informal
429 3.5

Good enough so the time, effort, or money you spent was not wasted

applies specifically to fully justifying the money paid
worthwhile
vsworth every penny
184 3.5

An activity that is good to do because it gives useful or important results

is about fully deserving the amount paid rather than effort justification
valuable
vsworth every penny
158 2.3

Worth a lot of money, like a painting or necklace

is restricted to fully deserving the paid amount, not only high price
priceless
vsworth every penny
113 4.2

So valuable that you cannot measure it in money

means fully deserving the paid amount rather than being beyond monetary measure
good value
vsworth every penny
9 1.7

A product or service that is worth the money you pay because it works well

is fully deserving of the full cost paid

Antonyms

overpriced
49 3.7

Too expensive for what you get

How Valuable

priceless
113 4.2
worth every penny
  • Informal
13 3.4
good value
9 1.7

Surface Forms

worth every penny positive

Morphology

worth + every + penny

The meaning is transparently built from 'worth' (having value) combined with 'every penny' (each unit of cost), so the phrase conveys that something fully merits the money paid. This compositional quantifier pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Worth every penny may come from the simple image of paying with small coins: imagine counting each little penny and feeling that every one was well spent. So it means 'completely worth the amount of money paid'.