worsted
Americannoun
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firmly twisted yarn or thread spun from combed, stapled wool fibers of the same length, for weaving, knitting, etc.
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wool cloth woven from such yarns, having a hard, smooth surface and no nap.
adjective
noun
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a closely twisted yarn or thread made from combed long-staple wool
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a fabric made from this, with a hard smooth close-textured surface and no nap
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(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
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
We read about one of them, in a store: “A beautiful jacket in blue worsted wool was making him feel sad.”
From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2014
He said he would not, at present, allow for expenditure on any dresses of fine stuffs, but rather recommended she brood on worsted and prunella twill.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
