What does "pasteboard" mean?
Card stock.
Pasteboard
adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Card stock.
- Grammar: pasteboard is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: backing, card, cardboard, clipboard.
- Useful contrasts: flexible material, soft paper, thin sheet.
- Usage evidence: Mary put it away in a small pasteboard box.
How to use "pasteboard"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pasteboard" 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 "pasteboard" 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 "pasteboard" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pasteboard" 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 "pasteboard" is acting as adj, noun, slang 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 "backing" 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 "pasteboard", 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
Noun
- 1 Card stock. uncountable, usually
"All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks."
- 2 stiff cardboard made by pasting together layers of paper wordnet
- 3 A widget allowing multiple users to paste and share text or other items. countable
- 4 A person's visiting card. countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable
"“We shall only have to leave our pasteboards, Arthur.” He used the word ‘pasteboards,’ having heard it from some of the ingenuous youth of the nobility about town, and as a modern phrase suited to Pen’s tender years."
Adjective
- 1 unsubstantial; flimsy figuratively, not-comparable
"A poor, pasteboard story. The conventional, unattractive heroine is recovering from an illness in Rome. She is discontented and sorry for herself because her planned career as a sports mistress has now to be abandoned."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
flexible materialsoft paperthin sheet
Example
"Mary put it away in a small pasteboard box."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pasteboard"?
Common synonyms include: backing, card, cardboard, clipboard, copy buffer, mounting board.
How do you use "pasteboard" in a sentence?
Mary put it away in a small pasteboard box.
Etymology
From paste + board.