Variation dyn.pr. Value ↔ Worth

a rating of usefulness or desirability to oneself

Worth describes the subjective value of an item or action to an individual. Of course, this varies greatly from individual to individual. This is the nature of garage sales -- one woman's trash is another woman's treasure. Making choices on the basis of Worth is an efficient way to get the most with one's resources. But there may be all kinds of potential locked in something a character considers worthless because objectively it has great Value. For example, Native Americans used gold simply as a decoration. To them it had little other Worth. Of course to Europeans it had significant Value. A character who ignores potential value because of low Worth can live to regret the deals he makes in a story, both physically and emotionally.

syn. subjective value, individual appraisal, personal importance