worsted
Americannoun
-
firmly twisted yarn or thread spun from combed, stapled wool fibers of the same length, for weaving, knitting, etc.
-
wool cloth woven from such yarns, having a hard, smooth surface and no nap.
adjective
noun
-
a closely twisted yarn or thread made from combed long-staple wool
-
a fabric made from this, with a hard smooth close-textured surface and no nap
-
(modifier) made of this yarn or fabric
a worsted suit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worsted
1250–1300; Middle English worsted ( e ), special use of Worstede Worstead ( Old English Wurthestede ), name of parish in Norfolk, England, where the cloth was made
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.
He often mixed silk and wool or silk and linen for a softer alternative to the heavy, stiff gabardines and worsted wools that were typical for men’s suits and jackets.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025
They had put chairs and pillows into it, and several worsted suits.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 4, 2018
Rolls upon rolls of flannel, worsted wool and cashmere are stacked in a space the size of a football field.
From Washington Post • Nov. 20, 2017
It's made at Alfred Brown worsted mills, a century-old family business in Bramley in Leeds.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2016
He bought himself a brand-new single-breasted suit of brown worsted for this occasion, with a matching brown vest and a brown and yellow- flowered silk tie.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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.
