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views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of threadbare The costumes were as threadbare as the plot, and the acting was a complete mess. Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025 One of the canines was wrapped in a spring protruding from a broken, threadbare couch, and yelping for help when cops arrived at the filthy apartment in the Belmont section of the Bronx on Aug. 4, officials said. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2025 An already threadbare Everton squad has been weakened further with departures. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025 Plus, they’re made of a far softer, cozier fabric than the threadbare fleece blankets airlines typically provide. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threadbare
Adjective
  • Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.
    Devan Patel, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Of the roiling mass of restless natives, cranky artists and tattered idealists who rose up across the Southland this summer to flip off darkness and call America back to its better angels?
    John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Over time, exposure to the elements has left the dolls dirty and worn, with peeling paint on their faces, tattered clothing, missing eyes, and no hair, creating a chilling and eerie atmosphere.
    Natalia Cano, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Each serves a high rate of students from impoverished households, and families within the schools' boundaries can choose to attend those schools or receive a bus to a second school option based on their address.
    Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Same premise as the exterior, but even more important: Don’t buy a car with a neglected interior.
    Jimmy Camp, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Close the Loop Following through on commitments is the simplest and yet shockingly most neglected way to earn long-term trust.
    Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Adjective
  • Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
  • At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.
    Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The original Toxic Avenger was made for chump change and wore its low-budget nature proudly, while this version, which was shot in Bulgaria in 2021 and involves both practical and digital effects, tries to evoke that ragged aesthetic while working with more resources.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Frost is, by reputation, perhaps the foremost poet of rural, non-coastal New England — of birches and apple trees, of forests blanketed in snow, of pastures sliced by ragged stone walls, and of the flinty, self-sufficient kind of temperament that flourishes in those places.
    A.O. Scott, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • But prorating three years of player profits down to 12 months, as UEFA’s rule does, reduces the immediate efficacy of successful trading in the market, the very strategy that poorer clubs increasingly rely on to climb the ladder.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Like most extended car warranty providers, CarShield excludes pre-existing conditions that existed before your warranty took effect, as well as damage resulting from poor maintenance, neglect or intentional abuse.
    Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Susan has lifted us up for 50 years; and her arms have not grown tired.
    Scott Simon, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Discard the tired-looking center and separate clumps from the outer edges by hand or use a sharp knife or pruning saw.
    Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Threadbare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threadbare. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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