worn

¹ American  

[wawrn] / wɔrn /

adjective

1. diminished in value or usefulness through wear, use, handling, etc..

   The car's front tires were very worn, with little tread left.

2. showing a considerable level of use or wear.

   He read his speech from two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been folded and unfolded many times.

3. wearied; exhausted.

   She looked worn but joyful as she held her newborn daughter.

   Synonyms:

   spent, tired, fatigued

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verb

1. the past participle of wear.

-worn ² American  

1. a combining form with the meaning “showing a specified level of use, deterioration, or consumption”.

   Before you toss that little-worn top, consider if it could be given a second life.

2. a combining form with the meaning “showing wear, deterioration, or exhaustion from a specified cause”.

   The old bridges fit the landscape, maybe because they are as windworn and aged as the land around them.

   The knights were weary and battleworn when they returned to the castle.

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worn British  

/ wɔːn /

verb

1. the past participle of wear 1

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adjective

1. affected, esp adversely, by long use or action

   a worn suit

2. haggard; drawn

3. exhausted; spent

Other Word Forms

• self-worn adjective
• unworn adjective
• wornness noun

Etymology

Origin of worn

First recorded in 1500–10, for the adjective

Example Sentences

The bright orange suits are worn during takeoff and re-entry, but also emergency situations, such as cabin depressurization.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

She held a tiny controller with which she operated a synthesizer, worn around her neck and concealed by the ruffles of her Congolese Kuba cloth top, to manipulate the sound of her voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

But geopolitical conflicts, high costs and the rise of AI have worn on workers, she said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Leib is a comedian, TV writer, podcaster and cultural journalist who has, to date, never worn cabbage as a hat.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Another pile of garbage bags sits in front of the sink, doing nothing to hide the yellowed linoleum flooring that’s cracked and peeling where it meets the worn brown carpeting of the living room.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• frayed
• shabby
• tattered
• threadbare
• timeworn
• well-worn