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Showing results for threadbare. Search instead for threaded/verb.
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.

In trying to prevent the goal, Joe Gomez picked up an injury to further deplete Liverpool's already threadbare options at centre-back.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

The case against her was threadbare, a product of postwar rancor, false testimony and manipulative journalists who had preyed on her naivete.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, dismissed the referral as “three pages of stale, threadbare allegations.”

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2025

I led her to a threadbare couch, ignoring and ignored by the other patients.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.