- past participle of shear.
shorn
Americanverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Explanation
If something is shorn, it's trimmed, clipped, or shaved. A shorn sheep is considerably less fluffy than one that isn't shorn. If your brother gets his curls closely cropped, you can describe him as shorn, and you can also say your weedy front lawn is shorn once you've barreled through it with a lawnmower. This adjective, however, is most often applied to wooly animals. Shorn sheep may look cold and skinny, but thoughtful shearers won't leave them in this state during the chilly months.
Vocabulary lists containing shorn
Nowhere Boy
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Every Falling Star
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Wolf Hollow
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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.
Shorn of sentimentality, this gentle drama follows a quietly observant fifth-grader who feels the grim shadow of mortality all around her.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Shorn of captain Bruno Fernandes due to injury plus the absent Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo due to the Africa Cup of Nations, Amorim's change of role for Dorgu paid dividends.
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
Shorn of the weight of expectation, this could be the year Neymar delivers for Brazil at a World Cup.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2022
Shorn of its new age-y trappings, Sarah Kirkland-Snider’s “Nausicaa” was a consolatory prayer, and two Missy Mazzoli pieces smoldered without being too heavy.
From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2022
"He Tempers the Wind to the Shorn Lamb."
From Among the Pines or, South in Secession Time by Gilmore, James R.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
