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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
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 June 2026
Indeed, the atmosphere of the Westside Road tasting room is one of relaxed natural beauty, with outdoor seating on a large wooden deck beneath the redwoods, as well as comfortable and spacious indoor tasting areas.
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Liz Thach,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Its grand interior is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and religious statues, as well as a Casavant Frères pipe organ that dates back to 1891.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 June 2026
The boardwalk was annihilated up and down the peninsula, crushed into pieces and twisted up like a wooden snake.
—
Curbed Editors,
Curbed,
23 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 27 Jun. 2026.
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