weathered
Americanadjective
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seasoned or otherwise affected by exposure to the weather.
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(of wood) artificially treated to seem discolored or stained by the action of air, rain, etc.
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(of rocks) worn, disintegrated, or changed in color or composition by weathering.
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Architecture. made sloping or inclined, as a window sill, to prevent the lodgment of water.
adjective
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affected by exposure to the action of the weather
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(of rocks and rock formations) eroded, decomposed, or otherwise altered by the action of water, wind, frost, heat, etc
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(of a sill, roof, etc) having a sloped surface so as to allow rainwater to run off
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(of wood) artificially stained so as to appear weather-beaten
weathered garden furniture
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of weathered
Explanation
Weathered things are worn by use, time, or weather, like the weathered shingles on a beachside cottage or an elderly man's weathered face. Your favorite sneakers will look weathered by the end of the summer. And, the weathered Canadian flag your brother hung outside your house back when he was a hockey fan should probably be replaced with a Union Jack now that his favorite spectator sport is cricket. Weathered comes from the verb weather, which first meant just "come through safely," before gaining the meaning "wear away by exposure," like the paint on a boat over time.
Vocabulary lists containing weathered
"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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The Red Pony
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"Efrén Divided" by Ernesto Cisneros, Chapters 1–5
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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.
This absence suggests that recent volcanic activity is unlikely, making the weathered, inactive surface scenario more plausible.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
The sector, which already weathered the closure of mosques and shrines in the pandemic, is a rare type of tourism in a country reeling from decades of conflicts.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
But although it’s worn and weathered, the tie that binds these two is indestructible.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
By the time he returned to the court in 2020, he had changed teams, weathered a global pandemic, and given himself 18 months to work back to full strength.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
It had weathered a bad stretch for its industry, in the late 1990s, during which several of its competitors collapsed.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
