threadbare

adjective

thread·​bare ˈthred-ˌber 

1

a

: having the nap worn off so that the thread shows : shabby

threadbare clothes

b

: wearing threadbare clothing : very poor

took in threadbare relatives

—Russell Baker

c

: barely adequate because of cheapness or shabbiness

a threadbare production

2

: exhausted of interest or freshness

threadbareness noun

Synonyms

• beat-up
• bombed-out
• dilapidated
• dog-eared
• down-at-the-heels
• down-at-heel
• down-at-the-heel
• down-at-heels
• dumpy
• grungy
• mangy
• mean
• miserable
• moth-eaten
• neglected
• ratty
• run-down
• scrubby
• scruffy
• seedy
• shabby
• sleazy
• tacky
• tatterdemalion
• tatty
• timeworn
• tumbledown

Choose the Right Synonym for threadbare

trite, hackneyed, stereotyped, threadbare mean lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest.

trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.

"you win some, you lose some" is a trite expression

hackneyed stresses being worn out by overuse so as to become dull and meaningless.

all of the metaphors and images in the poem are hackneyed

stereotyped implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form.

views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date

threadbare applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted.

a mystery novel with a threadbare plot

Examples of threadbare in a Sentence

bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale

a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés

Recent Examples on the Web

United march through threadbare City to Wembley Sunday represented the first of six season-defining litmus tests for United in the newest edition of the Skinner era and United can now emphatically check one off that list. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Everton are threadbare in a number of key positions. —Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025

Running Point has a paper-thin relationship with its pro-basketball setting, which the show populates with threadbare archetypes who feel like template imports from Ted Lasso. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025

Now an already thin attack begins to look threadbare. —James McNicholas, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for threadbare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

threadbare

adjective

thread·​bare ˈthred-ˌba(ə)r 

-ˌbe(ə)r

1

: worn so much that the thread shows : shabby

threadbare clothes

2

: barely adequate

a threadbare store with few items

a threadbare event lacking excitement

3

: having lost freshness and interest from overuse

threadbare jokes