wooden

American  

[wood-n] / ˈwʊd n /

adjective

1. consisting or made of wood; wood.

   a wooden ship.

2. stiff, ungainly, or awkward.

   a wooden gait.

3. without spirit, animation, or awareness.

   Synonyms:

   impassive, lifeless, vacant, expressionless

4. dull or stupid.

5. indicating the fifth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

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wooden British  

/ ˈwʊdən /

adjective

1. made from or consisting of wood

2. awkward or clumsy

3. bereft of spirit or animation

   a wooden expression

4. obstinately unyielding

   a wooden attitude

5. mentally slow or dull

6. not highly resonant

   a wooden thud

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verb

1. slang (tr) to fell or kill (a person or animal)

Other Word Forms

• woodenly adverb
• woodenness noun

Etymology

Origin of wooden

First recorded in 1530–40; wood ¹ + -en ²

Example Sentences

Candles and bouquets of flowers have been left by the boarded-up bar's wooden entrance steps, and at a makeshift memorial nearby.

From Barron's

OSLO—The director of the Nobel Peace Prize works behind an ornate wooden desk next to a wall adorned with the black-and-white portraits of his seven predecessors.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her jealousy is delicious when Skarsgård’s strapping wooden groom makes the other men look small, telling Colman that she’s “the reason I live and breathe.”

From Los Angeles Times

Frank took a key from his pocket and unlocked a tall wooden cupboard.

From Literature

My movements are swift, my bare feet silent on the rough wooden planks, until I reach the stairs.

From Literature