shorn
Americanverb
verb
Other Word Forms
- unshorn adjective
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.
Spurs are a very poor team, shorn of confidence and self-belief, looking on course for the Championship.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Sherwood also steered Villa away from the drop but, shorn of influential stars Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph in the summer, was sacked after six successive defeats left them bottom in October.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Viollet-le-Duc’s conception of Gothic architecture, shorn of religious, sentimental and romantic associations, was radically modern.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Mr. Ehnes gave it fresh life in a reflective reading generally shorn of showy gestures.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
They could knit goat-hair blankets for shorn sheep.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
