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Synonyms

wooden

American  
[wood-n] / ˈwʊd n /

adjective

  1. consisting or made of wood.

    a wooden ship.

  2. stiff, ungainly, or awkward.

    a wooden gait.

  3. without spirit, animation, or awareness.

    Synonyms:
    impassive, lifeless, vacant, expressionless
  4. dull or stupid.

  5. indicating the fifth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.


wooden British  
/ ˈwʊdən /

adjective

  1. made from or consisting of wood

  2. awkward or clumsy

  3. bereft of spirit or animation

    a wooden expression

  4. obstinately unyielding

    a wooden attitude

  5. mentally slow or dull

  6. not highly resonant

    a wooden thud

"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

verb

  1. slang (tr) to fell or kill (a person or animal)

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of wooden

First recorded in 1530–40; wood 1 + -en 2

Vocabulary lists containing wooden

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.

See Examples For:

The 49-year-old lives with her daughter in an open-front wooden home metres from a dilapidated sign reading "Tiger Reintroduction Project".

From Barron's Jul. 8, 2026

Wearing wooden clogs, Naresh Paswan uses a long iron bar to push fuel through dozens of fire holes that feed the kiln.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 7, 2026

Raju Singh’s small wooden pull-cart is both his work and home.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 7, 2026

In nearby Altadena, another wind phone sits in a wooden framed telephone booth with vertical glass windows at the end of a brick walkway.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 6, 2026

At the back of the property, several girls her age seem to be using the wooden stage for a painting project.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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