The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word CRED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
R
E
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Being worthy of respect" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case being worthy of respect = cred.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CRED mean?
CRED noun- (urban) Credibility.
- (usually in the plural) credential