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threadbare

thread·bare
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [thred-bair]
    • /ˈθrɛdˌbɛər/
    • /ˈθred.beər/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [thred-bair]
    • /ˈθrɛdˌbɛər/

Definitions of threadbare word

  • adjective threadbare having the nap worn off so as to lay bare the threads of the warp and woof, as a fabric, garment, etc. 1
  • adjective threadbare wearing threadbare clothes; shabby or poor: a threadbare old man. 1
  • adjective threadbare meager, scanty, or poor: a threadbare emotional life. 1
  • adjective threadbare hackneyed; trite; ineffectively stale: threadbare arguments. 1
  • adjective threadbare worn, shabby 1
  • adjective threadbare Threadbare clothes, carpets, and other pieces of cloth look old, dull, and very thin, because they have been worn or used too much. 0
See all 14 definitions of threadbare

Information block about the term

Origin of threadbare

First appearance:

before 1325
One of the 16% oldest English words
First recorded in 1325-75, threadbare is from the Middle English word thredbare. See thread, bare1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Threadbare

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Threadbare

threadbare popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 82% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

threadbare usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for threadbare

adj threadbare

  • anile — of or like a feeble old woman
  • beat-up — Informal. dilapidated; in poor condition from use: a beat-up old jalopy.
  • bedraggled — Someone or something that is bedraggled looks untidy because they have got wet or dirty.
  • broken-down — A broken-down vehicle or machine no longer works because it has something wrong with it.
  • bromidic — ordinary; dull

adjective threadbare

  • bald — Someone who is bald has little or no hair on the top of their head.
  • curer — A healer.
  • frayed — a raveled or worn part, as in cloth: frays at the toes of well-worn sneakers.
  • grungy — ugly, run-down, or dilapidated: a grungy, abandoned mill town.
  • junky — of the nature of junk; trashy.
All 50 Synonyms of threadbare

Top questions with threadbare

  • what does threadbare mean?
  • what is threadbare?
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  • what is the definition of threadbare?

Related words

  • bare

    If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing.

  • fray

    a raveled or worn part, as in cloth: frays at the toes of well-worn sneakers.
All related words to threadbare

See also

Matching words

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