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

---

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• woodenly
  adverb
• woodenness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of wooden

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

Example Sentences

John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

“They’re not medically significant,” said Pat Wooden, the insect identification lab manager at Virginia Tech.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Even after she became head coach at UC Santa Barbara in 1995, Close would make the long drive to see Wooden as much as she could.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Every other week for the next two years, Close visited Wooden at his apartment for a chat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

There’s Mom and Guillermo kissing into a tornado of color at The Wooden Bird.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson