- a variation of readymade.
ready-made
Americanadjective
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made in advance for sale to any purchaser, rather than to order.
a ready-made coat.
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made for immediate use.
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unoriginal; conventional.
noun
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something that is ready-made, as a garment or a piece of furniture or equipment.
adjective
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made for purchase and immediate use by any customer
a ready-made jacket
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extremely convenient or ideally suited
a ready-made solution
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unoriginal or conventional
ready-made phrases
noun
Etymology
Origin of ready-made
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As a Premier League winner, Mac Allister would bring top-flight experience and be a ready-made candidate to slot into City's midfield.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
In another context, a president being quietly transferred between aircraft in a service vehicle might register as little more than a piece of security choreography — unusual, perhaps, but hardly ready-made for farce.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 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
Along with £117m arrival Rogers, who turned 24 on Saturday, Lacroix's arrival means Chelsea have delivered on their pledge to make at least two ready-made signings.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
And now she wants to spend five hundred dollars on ready-made clothes?
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
