At a glance
～に足る means "worthy of ~" or "enough to deserve ~". It is a formal, mostly written expression used to judge that someone or something deserves an action such as trust or respect.
Verb (dictionary form) + に足る + Noun
Noun (action noun) + に足る + Noun
彼は信頼するに足る人物だ。 He is a person worthy of trust.
How to form it
足る always comes after に. It never attaches directly to a noun.
| Attaches to | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Verb, dictionary form | 信頼するに足る人物 | a person worthy of trust |
| Verb, dictionary form | 信じるに足る証拠 | evidence worth believing |
| Action noun (尊敬, 信頼) | 尊敬に足る先輩 | a senior worthy of respect |
| Negative: に足らない | 取るに足らない問題 | a trivial problem |
Register: formal. Common in writing, speeches and news, rare in casual talk.