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

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

Its threadbare public health system and exclusionary private health system don’t provide adequate care for all Indians. —Vidya Krishnan, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2020

Wilson — who lands the most appearances on this list with four — plays this all with a threadbare layer of charm. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025

The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg enjoyed the City Tavern Club, a modest, threadbare place with monthly dues on the order of two hundred dollars. —Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025