1
as in obsolete
having passed its time of use or usefulness
moth-eaten scientific theories that no one's believed in ages
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2
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
a man who's been wearing the same moth-eaten clothes for decades
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3
as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
an uncle who tells the same moth-eaten stories every Thanksgiving
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moth-eaten
Adjective
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The professors were bitter and angry—angry at a university, a state, and a country where their fields of study were regarded as obsolete, useful only for padding the schedules of STEM students or as a backstop for STEM burnouts.
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All devices will eventually become obsolete and be disposed of, but until such time, the connectivity models mean that almost all products are now IoT devices and require whole-life management.
Adjective
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Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.
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The parents and grandparents of 16 children found living in a dilapidated house in southern Ohio were arraigned Wednesday on more than a dozen felony child endangerment charges, officials said.
Adjective
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This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
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In some cases, praise took on overtly stereotyped forms: words like 'love' were used disproportionately with female students, while 'powerful' appeared only for Black students.
Adjective
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The sixth block in the Parthenon’s tympanum—or recessed space—was restored by combining a pair of archaic fragments with new pieces of marble, while the seventh block has been completed using only fresh marble.
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His department of justice brought back the firing squad on federal row in April of 2026; several states now also use what was once considered an archaic method.
Adjective
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Underdog startups and neglected divisions tell similar stories.
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Cinematographer Guillermo Garza shoots neglected settings like fine art, embracing the grime.
Adjective
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Hollywood Plot Lines and Reality These are the tired questions every UFO skeptic asks.
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If your complexion tends to look flat or tired by midday, this powder can help bring back some radiance.
Adjective
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Tying an Italian surname to the Outfit has become a tattered badge of honor in the antiquated newsroom of certain outlets with truth thrown to the curb.
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This offers the do-it-yourself warrior a simple, direct route from antiquated lead-acid to state-of-the-art lithium without having to search for esoteric parts online.
Adjective
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Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.
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While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.
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Cite this Entry
“Moth-eaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moth-eaten. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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