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timeworn

American  
[tahym-wawrn, -wohrn] / ˈtaɪmˌwɔrn, -ˌwoʊrn /

adjective

  1. worn worn or impaired by time. times.

  2. showing the effects of age or antiquity; antiquated.

    timeworn farming methods.

  3. commonplace; trite; hackneyed.

    a timeworn excuse.
timeworn British  
/ ˈtaɪmˌwɔːn /

adjective

  1. showing the adverse effects of overlong use or of old age

  2. hackneyed; trite

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of timeworn

First recorded in 1720–30; time + worn

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.

Occasionally we’d glimpse small towns and timeworn roadside attractions — a reminder that Old Route 66 basically follows Southwest Chief’s path between the West Coast and Albuquerque, N.M.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

A timeworn story of unrequited love, it leans on his training as a counter-tenor, before exploding into an unexpected techno breakdown.

From BBC • May 9, 2025

But the gently moving “I’m Still Here” surpasses its contemporaries thanks to its well-paced screenplay and its ability to buck conventions in what would otherwise be a timeworn story of perseverance.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2025

The program has also drawn criticism from non-proliferation advocates and experts who say the current arsenal, though timeworn, is sufficient to meet U.S. needs.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023

He climbed past the timeworn carvings of dancers, and he imagined them whispering to him.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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.