diminished in value or usefulness through wear, use, handling, etc..
The car's front tires were very worn, with little tread left.
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.
wearied; exhausted.
She looked worn but joyful as she held her newborn daughter.
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.
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.
affected, esp adversely, by long use or action
a worn suit
haggard; drawn
exhausted; spent
First recorded in 1500–10, for the adjective
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This meant vintage Levi’s, worn tees, thrift-store knits, “pieces that feel inherited or accumulated over time.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
It's placed right next to the iconic blue t-shirt worn by Sally Ride on the 1983 Shuttle mission when she became the first American woman in space.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The skin on both heels and a patch below my right pinkie had worn away, leaving behind angry pink abrasions.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
But patience has worn thin as U.S. influence has expanded.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
The dead man had worn his long brown hair loose, except for a single lock at the temple, matted with red ochre.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
