What does "clad" mean?
simple past and past participle of clothe
Clad
/klæd/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: simple past and past participle of clothe
- Grammar: clad is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: clothed, apparel, appareled, apparelled.
- Useful contrasts: bare, bare skins, barelegged.
- Usage evidence: Sitting in her panther hide chair, the young woman, clad in red lingerie, was reading aloud a book titled "The Black Princess".
How to use "clad"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clad" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clad" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clad" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clad" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clad" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "clothed" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clad", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of clothe archaic, form-of, participle, past
- 2 To clothe, to dress. archaic, literary, obsolete
"At last faire Heſperus in higheſt ſkie / Had ſpent his lãpe [i.e., lampe] and brought forth dawning light, / Then vp he roſe, and clad him haſtily; / The dwarfe him brought his ſteed: ſo both away do fly."
- 3 To cover with a cladding or another material (for example, insulation).
"[M]any bitter and extreme frosts at midsummer continually clothe and clad the discomfortable mountaines; […]"
- 4 To imbue (with a specified quality); to envelop or surround. figuratively
"Moſt mercifull father, we beſeche thee ſo to ſende vpon theſe thy ſeruauntes thy heauenly bleſſyng, that they maye be cladde about with all iuſtice, & that thy worde ſpoken by theyr mouthes, may haue ſuch ſucceſſe, that it may neuer be ſpoken in vain."
Adjective
- 1 Wearing clothing or some other covering (for example, an armour) on the body; clothed, dressed. not-comparable
"[F]rom his nook upleapt the venturous lad, / And flinging wide the cedar-carven door / Beheld an awful image saffron-clad / And armed for battle!"
- 2 Covered, enveloped in, or surrounded by a cladding, or a specified material or substance. in-compounds, not-comparable, often
"On all sides, Goudet is shut in by mountains; rocky foot-paths, practicable at best for donkeys, join it to the outer world of France; and the men and women drink and swear, in their green corner, or look up at the snow-clad peaks in winter from the threshold of their homes [...]"
- 3 Adorned, ornamented. figuratively, not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination wordnet
- 2 having an outer covering especially of thin metal wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Sitting in her panther hide chair, the young woman, clad in red lingerie, was reading aloud a book titled "The Black Princess"."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clad"?
Common synonyms include: clothed, apparel, appareled, apparelled, array, arrayed.
How do you use "clad" in a sentence?
Sitting in her panther hide chair, the young woman, clad in red lingerie, was reading aloud a book titled "The Black Princess".
How do you pronounce "clad"?
Pronounced /klæd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English clad, cladde, cled(e), cledde, past tense and past participle forms of clethen (“(also figurative) to put clothing on, clothe, dress; to provide clothing to; to arm, equip; to cover, envelop; to conceal; to adorn”), from Old English clǣþan (past tense clǣþde, *clædde), from Proto-West Germanic *klaiþijan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y-, *gley- (“to adhere, cling, stick to”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English clad(d), cladde, clade, past tense and past participle forms of clathen, clothen (“to put clothing on, clothe, dress”), from *clāþian (“to clothe”) (past participle ġeclāded, ġeclaþed, ġeclaþod), from clāþ, clǣþ (“cloth; (plural) clothes”); see further at etymology 1.
Etymology 3
Apparently derived from clad (adjective); see etymology 2. Uses of clad as the simple past and past participle form of clad are indistinguishable from uses of the word as the simple past and past participle form of clothe.