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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
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
This innovative design marries the comfort of an ottoman with the stability of a traditional table thanks to a stylish wooden accoutrement on top of it.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 30 Nov. 2025
Fazendas rolling into the horizon, dusty roads, wooden docks on still water, and nights lit by stars.
—Jade Moyano, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
Cover your table with a paper tablecloth or newspapers to help protect it from paint, and set out your wooden holiday houses on top.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wooden
Cite this Entry
“Wooden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wooden. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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