Shopworn
//ˈʃɒpwɔːn// adj
adj ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Of a product in a retail store: damaged from being on display and handled by customers, etc.; shop-soiled.
"The handbag looks nice, but shopworn."
- 2 Not fresh or new.; Of an idea, a piece or writing, etc.: repeated so often as to have become uninteresting; clichéd, overused, tired. figuratively
"Peace with honour—that immortal phrase coined by the greatest phrase-maker of his generation—has become slightly shop[-]worn, although still admittedly serviceable, and honour is not lightly to be defined."
- 3 Not fresh or new.; Of an object: faded, shabby. figuratively
Adjective
- 1 repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse wordnet
- 2 worn or faded from being on display in a store wordnet
Example
More examples"The checkerboard tiling and shopworn 1950s decor in Dr. David Mushabac's dental office seem a bit old fashioned, but all the necessities are there: sky-blue swivel chair with headrest, porcelain basin, cotton swabs, and row upon row of sterile metal instruments."
Etymology
From shop (noun) + worn (adjective).
More for "shopworn"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.