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Synonyms

wooden

American  
[wood-n] / ˈwʊd n /

adjective

  1. consisting or made of 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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of wooden

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

Vocabulary lists containing wooden

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.

See Examples For:

There is also a cultural shift against laugh tracks and a perception that multicams can have a wooden aesthetic, according to “The Neighborhood” co-editor Tim DeLone.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 10, 2026

A Welsh artist calling himself Joseffson added a wooden frame to one of the wrecked meters, turning it into an art piece titled “Democracy Manifest, 2026.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 6, 2026

Glinting in the night, halfway up a hill in Japan, the greenhouse-like "Ku-An" test lab is lit by electricity harnessed from 1,500 wooden boxes of soil and compost.

From Barron's Aug. 5, 2026

The wooden clog is also making a comeback.

From BBC Aug. 4, 2026

There on the sill, the broken pieces fitted carefully together, sat the wooden triangle.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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