threadbare

American  

[thred-bair] / ˈθrɛdˌbɛər /

adjective

1. having the nap worn off so as to lay bare the threads of the warp and woof, as a fabric, garment, etc.

2. wearing threadbare clothes; shabby or poor.

   a threadbare old man.

3. meager, scanty, or poor.

   a threadbare emotional life.

4. hackneyed; trite; ineffectively stale.

   threadbare arguments.

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threadbare British  

/ ˈθrɛdˌbɛə /

adjective

1. (of cloth, clothing, etc) having the nap worn off so that the threads are exposed

2. meagre or poor

   a threadbare existence

3. hackneyed

   a threadbare argument

4. wearing threadbare clothes; shabby

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Other Word Forms

• threadbareness noun

Etymology

Origin of threadbare

First recorded in 1325–75, threadbare is from the Middle English word thredbare. See thread, bare ¹

Example Sentences

Two boys—tall, thickset teens—trailed behind her, clad in threadbare suits, looking bored and sullen.

From Literature

He knew every stitch, every threadbare patch by feel.

From Literature

"The farmers are the poorest people in Ivory Coast," he added, showing his threadbare clothes.

From Barron's

I wore a threadbare coat that bore grease stains on the arms, and my cheeks were smudged brown with dirt and grime.

From Literature

The club were left with a threadbare squad in the summer after Josh Windass and Michael Smith walked away from their contracts.

From BBC

Related Words

• faded
• ratty
• scruffy
• shabby
• shopworn
• tacky
• tattered