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Humans have been making objects out of wood since before there even was an English language, but the adjectival use of "wood" didn't come into being until the 14th century, and "wooden" didn't appear until the 16th. (The word wood has ancient roots, but it originally existed only as a noun.) In Middle English, the adjective of choice was "tree" or "treen," as in a "tree vessel" or "treen shoes." "Treen" in turn came from the Old English word trēowen, from the noun "trēow" ("tree") and the suffix -en, which was used to indicate that something was composed of a certain material. As far as we know, no one ever used "treen" figuratively to describe things that are stiff as a board, but "wooden" was put to broader use soon after it was first recorded.
Synonyms of wooden
Examples of wooden in a Sentence
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
To protect the coating, use wooden, plastic or silicone utensils instead of metal.
—Ryan Brennan
june 2, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Brith watches it for a moment, then unhooks a shallow wooden cup from her belt and dips it through the surface, watching as a matching cup rises up out of the water to meet it.
—Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
It's reached by a removable wooden ladder and is currently configured as a gaming/hangout area with twin monitors and seating.
—New Atlas, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for wooden
Cite this Entry
“Wooden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wooden. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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