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Showing results for threadbare. Search instead for abreibbaren.
Definitions

threadbare

[thred-bair] / ˈθrɛdˌbɛər /
ADJECTIVE
worn, frayed
Synonyms
STRONGEST
faded ratty scruffy shabby shopworn tacky tattered
WEAK
beat up damaged dilapidated dingy dog-eared down-at-the-heel frowzy impaired injured old ragged run down seedy timeworn used used-up worn-out worse for wear
Antonyms
WEAK
fresh new unused unworn
ADJECTIVE
trite, corny
Synonyms
STRONGEST
musty stale
WEAK
banal bathetic cliché cliché-ridden clichéd common commonplace conventional dull everyday familiar hackneyed imitative moth-eaten overused poor set stereotyped stock tedious tired uncreative well-worn worn-out
Antonyms
STRONGEST
new
WEAK
fresh unused unworn

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“She began being grateful for the blankets, the only thing she had — and they were threadbare blankets,” Conniff says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

"The farmers are the poorest people in Ivory Coast," he added, showing his threadbare clothes.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Years of squeezed spending in some areas leaving some parts of the public services threadbare.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

Bringing your whole self to work can leave you threadbare, writes Amanda Goetz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

In the distance, the sky was dark, furious clouds stampeding across the sky, and the wind tore at the threadbare dress Ophie wore.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Vocabulary lists containing threadbare

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List 4

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