godny

Godny is a Polish adjective meaning worthy, deserving, fit, or appropriate. It describes the merit or suitability of a person, action, or thing. In everyday use it can express reliability or quality, appearing in phrases such as godny zaufania (trustworthy), godny uwagi (worthy of attention), or to godne pochwały (praiseworthy). The sense ranges from moral merit to general suitability, depending on context.

Grammar and usage: Godny declines like a typical -ny adjective. The basic forms are masculine singular godny, feminine singular godna, neuter singular godne; masculine personal plural godni; feminine and neuter plural godne. When followed by another noun, the following noun is often in the genitive, yielding phrases such as godny zaufania or godne uwagi. The word can modify nouns referring to people, actions, or objects, signaling merit, worth, or appropriateness.

Origins and relations: The term is native to Polish and belongs to the broader Slavic family. It has cognates in other languages, such as Czech hodný and Russian годный, which convey a similar sense of “worthy” or “fit.”

Usage notes: Godny covers both moral merit and practical suitability, and it tends to be more formal or literary than casual synonyms like wart or odpowiedni. In fixed expressions, it often appears with nouns in the genitive to express the idea of being worthy of a certain quality or consideration. In modern Polish, it remains a common, versatile descriptor across written and spoken registers.