worn

¹

[wawrn]

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

verb

1. the past participle of wear.

-worn

²

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.

worn

/ wɔːn /

verb

1. the past participle of wear 1

adjective

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

   a worn suit

2. haggard; drawn

3. exhausted; spent

Other Word Forms

• wornness noun
• self-worn adjective
• unworn adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of worn¹

First recorded in 1500–10, for the adjective

Example Sentences

However, that veneer has worn down in recent years, including when she broke her hip during a fall in Europe in December.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The only piece of "specialist" clothing worn for the event are gloves made of heavy sacking, Mr Wade said, with some choosing to put strapping on their arms and petroleum jelly on their faces for extra protection.

Read more on BBC

Worn for a couple of weeks, the Zio monitor looks for irregular heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation—a racing heartbeat that can presage a stroke or heart attack.

Read more on Barron's

For most of my adult life, I have worn a kippa, an indication of being an Orthodox Jew.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I haven’t worn any gear all year.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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