Synonyms of threadbare

threadbare

adjective

ˈthred-ˌber 

1

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dilapidated
• neglected
• tattered
• shabby
• tatty
• scruffy
• miserable
• mangy
• ragged
• tired
• desolate
• abandoned
• ratty
• timeworn
• tumbledown
• seedy
• scrubby
• tacky
• dumpy
• grungy
• down-at-heel
• moth-eaten
• beat-up
• broken
• down-at-the-heels
• sleazy
• ruined
• dog-eared
• gone to seed
• run-down
• down-at-the-heel
• tatterdemalion
• bombed-out
• down-at-heels
• damaged
• unkept
• dingy
• mean
• decrepit
• wrecked
• deteriorated
• rickety
• forlorn
• ramshackle
• deteriorating
• bedraggled
• destroyed
• decaying
• worn-out
• broken-down
• godforsaken
• rackety
• injured
• hurt
• impaired
• harmed
• rattletrap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• fresh
• brand-new
• kept-up
• maintained
• mended
• patched
• reconstructed
• spiffy
• cared-for
• rebuilt
• smart
• spruce

2

as in cliche

used or heard so often as to be dull

a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cliche
• stereotyped
• tired
• hackneyed
• commonplace
• obligatory
• shopworn
• clichéd
• old
• stale
• banal
• timeworn
• usual
• typical
• boring
• musty
• cliché
• trite
• well-worn
• cobwebby
• moth-eaten
• hackney
• cardboard
• hack
• tiring
• conventional
• dull
• dusty
• standard
• derivative
• ordinary
• platitudinous
• bromidic
• unimaginative
• heavy
• weary
• uninspired
• normal
• drab
• ready-made
• wearying
• dry
• tiresome
• uninteresting
• unoriginal
• imitative
• prosaic
• pedestrian
• vapid
• monotonous
• dreary
• tedious
• rote
• tried-and-true
• tame
• arid
• wearisome
• barren
• routine
• humdrum
• stodgy
• leaden
• ponderous
• canned
• colorless
• twice-told
• flat
• stock
• stuffy
• jejune
• old-fashioned
• platitudinal
• pedantic
• undramatic
• numbing
• cookie-cutter
• old hat
• ho-hum
• mind-numbing
• drudging
• jading

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• original
• fresh
• novel
• exciting
• interesting
• intriguing
• stimulating
• involving
• unhackneyed
• riveting
• gripping
• engrossing
• energizing
• unusual
• engaging
• unfamiliar
• animating
• strange
• extraordinary
• unclichéd
• absorbing
• atypical
• enlivening
• uncommon
• unprecedented
• invigorating
• unknown
• unaccustomed
• unheard-of
• galvanizing
• pioneering
• pathbreaking
• trailblazing

3

as in tattered

worn or torn into or as if into rags

I loved that threadbare shirt, but after 10 years of wear, it was time to throw it away

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tattered
• ragged
• faded
• frayed
• shabby
• raggedy
• seedy
• ratty
• worn-out
• scruffy
• shredded
• dingy
• dilapidated
• lacerated
• dowdy
• patchy
• mangy
• decrepit
• tatterdemalion
• lacerate
• tacky
• holey
• grungy
• broken-down
• dog-eared
• scuzzy
• moth-eaten
• run-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• unused
• brand-new
• spick-and-span
• spic-and-span

4

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions

never knew that she had so many threadbare relatives until she won the lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• poor
• broke
• beggared
• needful
• bankrupt
• deprived
• destitute
• poverty-stricken
• beggarly
• penurious
• penniless
• impecunious
• down-and-out
• indigent
• dirt-poor
• needy
• out of pocket
• pauperized
• necessitous
• famished
• skint
• out at elbows
• bankrupted
• depressed
• hard up
• out at the elbows
• distressed
• disadvantaged
• underprivileged
• ruined
• insolvent
• down on one's luck
• busted
• hardscrabble
• dispossessed
• straitened
• short
• unaffluent
• pinched
• hand-to-mouth
• poorish
• reduced
• possessionless
• bust
• cash-strapped
• tapped out
• low

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rich
• opulent
• wealthy
• affluent
• fat
• moneyed
• well-to-do
• monied
• flush
• comfortable
• fat-cat
• well-off
• silk-stocking
• prosperous
• well-heeled
• deep-pocketed

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective threadbare differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of threadbare are hackneyed, stereotyped, and trite. While all these words mean "lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest," threadbare applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted.

a mystery novel with a threadbare plot

When is it sensible to use hackneyed instead of threadbare?

The words hackneyed and threadbare can be used in similar contexts, but 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

In what contexts can stereotyped take the place of threadbare?

In some situations, the words stereotyped and threadbare are roughly equivalent. However, stereotyped implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form.

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

When could trite be used to replace threadbare?

The synonyms trite and threadbare are sometimes interchangeable, but trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of threadbare

There is a straightforward plot here (a hotel manager learns his place of employment will soon be no more), but the Argentine filmmaker uses such a threadbare storyline to string together a broader meditation about a changing world. —Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025

Not only were the 49ers missing Purdy and George Kittle for a second straight start, Jauan Jennings was out with an ankle injury, leaving a threadbare receiving corps for Jones. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025

Amid textile shortages, Japanese veterans continued wearing threadbare flight suits, and families found clothes by scouring the black market. —Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025

Unfortunately, these strengths are working in service of a story too flimsy to support them, an unsatisfying combination of threadbare tropes, predictable twists and a wafer-thin character study. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025