1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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4
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
never knew that she had so many threadbare relatives until she won the lottery
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of threadbare
Beneath the threadbare sweater is another case containing a picture of a bucolic waterfall, and beneath that a final cabinet containing green wellington boots with pink toes emerging.
—
Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
As in self-consciously old-fashioned, or maybe just lavishly threadbare.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Dec. 2024
The interior of the offensive line is threadbare, with question marks at center and one guard spot.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
But as ProPublica reported this year, court oversight of these officials is threadbare.
—Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
As in self-consciously old-fashioned, or maybe just lavishly threadbare.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Dec. 2024
The interior of the offensive line is threadbare, with question marks at center and one guard spot.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
But as ProPublica reported this year, court oversight of these officials is threadbare.
—Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threadbare
Adjective
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On the show Hill would buy dilapidated homes, fix them up and sell them for a profit.—
Jennifer Sangalang,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
-
The manager of a dilapidated building called the Workers’ Cultural Palace gives a speech about his plans for the space.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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The bottom half of the dog's body stayed pinned underneath a tattered couch on a pile of trash as flies circled him.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The other traditional party, the Liberal Party, has splintered between those who remain loyal to Zelaya and those who led the coup, including Mauricio Villeda, the presidential candidate who leads a tattered vestige of his party.—
Dana Frank,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Nov. 2013
Adjective
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Infectious disease experts note that the vitamin is most useful in impoverished countries where children are significantly malnourished.—
Katherine Dillinger,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
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In the meantime, the new administrators warn that the Kennedy Center is impoverished, that the facility has become shoddy and that some of its programming ill serves the American ideal.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the area where these cuts will be felt most acutely is with respect to elder abuse, which is already a neglected area of health care and social services.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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By upcycling a neglected garment, Hirsch hopes to give someone the chance to experience the beauty and craftsmanship that goes into creating a piece.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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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
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The square of white cloth was about to be sewn into a bigger pieces displaying political messages, but the ragged edges didn't neatly line up with the other pieces.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
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Musk: Tesla not on ‘ragged edge of death’ Musk dismisses the idea that the company is in any serious financial distress.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston.—
Brian Mahoney,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
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Boston built big second-half leads on New York in both Games 1 and 2 at home, but squandered them due to uncharacteristically poor 3-point shooting.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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At this point in the Trump show, the famously unpredictable president seems to be following a script as tired as any other long-running, low-brow procedural.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
5 May 2025
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He’s grown tired of being optioned back and forth from the minor leagues.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Threadbare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threadbare. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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