Showing results for "ready-made"

• a variation of readymade.

ready-made

American  

[red-ee-mayd] / ˈrɛd iˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. made in advance for sale to any purchaser, rather than to order.

   a ready-made coat.

2. made for immediate use.

3. unoriginal; conventional.

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noun

1. readymade.

2. something that is ready-made, as a garment or a piece of furniture or equipment.

ready-made British  

adjective

1. made for purchase and immediate use by any customer

   a ready-made jacket

2. extremely convenient or ideally suited

   a ready-made solution

3. unoriginal or conventional

   ready-made phrases

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noun

1. a ready-made article, esp a garment

Etymology

Origin of ready-made

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

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Explanation

Ready-made things are standardized and bought right off the shelf, rather than being specially made. You might have to hem your ready-made curtains, but they're cheaper than having custom curtains sewn. Ready-made clothes are the ones you buy in stores or online that come in standard sizes. Custom, tailor-made, or bespoke clothing is the exact opposite — they're constructed to perfectly fit your body. Ready-made food is store-bought, and made commercially, not homemade. You can also use this adjective to describe something that's so quick and automatic it's become a cliche, like a politician's thoughtless, ready-made response to a reporter's question.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ready-made

Lula's Army messages often included ready-made templates for followers to share with friends and family.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

The company’s ready-made pieces are only sold in the U.S. at Material Good, a watch and jewelry store in SoHo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

It is a ready-made labor force for an aging economy that shares language, culture and religion, and are therefore less controversial for Spanish voters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

To exhibit a closeness that comes from a ready-made bond since birth.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

When our entire fortune was lost to the surging waters of the Bistrifa—a shipload of fabric and ready-made clothes gone in an instant—he returned to his former career.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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