well-worn

[wel-wawrn, -wohrn]

adjective

1. showing the effects of extensive use or wear.

   well-worn carpets.

2. trite, hackneyed, or stale.

   a well-worn saying.

3. fittingly or becomingly worn or borne.

   a well-worn reserve that never seems haughty.

well-worn

adjective

1. so much used as to be affected by wear

   a well-worn coat

2. used too often; hackneyed

   a well-worn phrase

Word History and Origins

Origin of well-worn¹

First recorded in 1615–25

Example Sentences

The well-worn stones of Swanburne were beneath her feet, but everything felt wrong.

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Within that well-worn dynamic, Davidson developed into one of the top women’s hoops prospects in the nation, all while she and her friends led Clackamas High on an unprecedented, four-year run of success.

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In doing so, the Trojans coach borrowed a well-worn rallying cry, one that traces back 2,000 years.

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Her well-worn cycling gloves allow a peek at her perfect dripping-blood manicure, and a bulky knee pad helps steady a problem leg because she’s up and down so often.

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Some families’ rallying cries have been passed down like well-worn stories.

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Related Words

• dull 
• humdrum 
• lifeless 
• monotonous 
• mundane 
• stale 
• stodgy 
• stuffy 
• stupid 
• tame 
• tedious 
• tiresome 
• tiring www.thesaurus.com
• trite 
• uninteresting