wear thin

1. Be weakened or diminished gradually, as in My patience is wearing thin . [Late 1800s]

2. Become less convincing, acceptable, or popular, as in His excuses are wearing thin . [First half of 1990s] Both usages transfer the thinning of a physical object, such as cloth, to nonmaterial characteristics.

Example Sentences

But the “companies are just better” excuse starts to wear thin when the gold standard of valuation enters the discussion.

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Already, Milei’s policies and brash personality are wearing thin with the public, making any move on the peso less likely.

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It wore thin when the likes of Ipswich and Leicester were leaving north London with three points.

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"Its rapid expansion in recent years has sparked concerns that its 'exclusive' label was wearing thin."

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In a city whose population is more than half Latino, that stance is wearing thin with critics who claim that the department is tacitly supporting ICE by providing crowd control when raids draw angry protesters.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• erode 
• frazzle 
• unravel 
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