adjective
Etymology
Origin of oaken
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at oak, -en 2
Vocabulary lists containing oaken
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.
Like the man himself, his songs aren’t flashy; they’re oaken, sturdy and timeless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
A 3,000-year-old oaken dugout canoe made by ancient indigenous peoples was discovered in the bed of Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota on Thursday.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 24, 2022
Levinson's highly stylized "Euphoria" is nothing if not a temple to stylistic excess but Zendaya's prodigious talent holds up its center; it is that show's oaken truth.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2021
Back then, iceboxes were literally oaken boxes filled with ice.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 9, 2014
General Dreedle’s great, red domineering face was gnarled with perplexity and oaken with awesome resolution.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
