Synonyms of deadwood

deadwood

noun

ˈded-ˌwu̇d 

as in debris

discarded or useless material

much of the material in the file cabinets is just deadwood

Synonyms & Similar Words

• debris
• garbage
• rubbish
• trash
• junk
• dust
• litter
• rubble
• dross
• truck
• sewage
• waste
• offal
• chaff
• riffraff
• scrap
• effluvium
• wreckage
• refuse
• lumber
• dreck
• raffle
• detritus
• ruins
• spilth
• wash
• crud
• offscouring
• remains
• dump
• flotsam
• swill
• cull
• discard
• scrap heap
• straw
• jetsam
• trumpery
• slop
• odds and ends
• nothing
• reject
• castoff
• two bits
• throwaway
• hand-me-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plum
• treasure
• prize
• treasure trove
• jewel
• trove
• pearl
• gem
• catch
• find
• valuable
• salvage
• booty
• goody

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deadwood

The pyre was probably built by collecting and assembling at least 30 kilograms of deadwood and grass, which would have required considerable community effort. — ArsTechnica, 5 Jan. 2026

Trying to talk sense into him would be useless, however, so a wounded Leroy hands off the dagger to Will and gives him instructions on where to bury it, reasoning that Will and his friends will be able to get to the deadwood without the military spotting them. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025

With Rich's ghostly helping hand, Will, Lilly, Ronnie, and Marge are able to plant the dagger in the deadwood's roots, re-lock the cage, and send It back into one of its 27-year hibernation periods. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 Dec. 2025

The lawsuit states that the branch fell from a tree that was clearly unhealthy, decayed and had deadwood. — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025