What does "threadbare" mean?
Of cloth, clothing, furnishings, etc.: frayed and worn to an extent that the nap is damaged and the warp and weft threads show; shabby, worn-out.
Threadbare
/ˈθɹɛdbɛə/ adj
adj ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Of cloth, clothing, furnishings, etc.: frayed and worn to an extent that the nap is damaged and the warp and weft threads show; shabby, worn-out.
- Grammar: threadbare is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: hackneyed, trite, back number, back-number.
- Useful contrasts: adequate, ample, fresh.
- Usage evidence: He was wearing a threadbare suit.
How to use "threadbare"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "threadbare" 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 "threadbare" 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 "threadbare" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "threadbare" 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 "threadbare" is acting as adj 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 "hackneyed" 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 "threadbare", 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
Adjective
- 1 Of cloth, clothing, furnishings, etc.: frayed and worn to an extent that the nap is damaged and the warp and weft threads show; shabby, worn-out.
"His life vvas nigh vnto deaths dore yplaſte, / And thred-bare cote, and cobled ſhoes hee vvare, […]"
- 2 In poor condition; damaged, shabby; also, poorly equipped or provided for, inadequate, meagre, scanty. figuratively
"Welth and wyt, I say, be so threde bare worne, / That all is without measure, and fer beyonde the mone."
- 3 Of an argument, excuse, etc.: used so often that it is no longer effective or interesting; banal, clichéd, trite. figuratively
- 4 An argument or assertion with little in the way of substance or supporting evidence. figuratively
"But with so many tired, lazy callbacks to its own threadbare catalog (including “Love Is Not The Answer,” a watery echo of the epic “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” from 2003’s Permission To Land), Hot Cakes marks the point where The Darkness has stopped cannibalizing the golden age of stadium rock and simply started cannibalizing itself."
- 5 Of a person: wearing clothes of threadbare (sense 1) material; hence, impoverished, poor. archaic, obsolete
"Be gon, all Honeſty, / Thou fooliſh, ſlender, thredbare, ſtarving thing, be gon!"
Adjective
- 1 repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse wordnet
- 2 having the nap worn away so that the threads show through wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"He was wearing a threadbare suit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "threadbare"?
Common synonyms include: hackneyed, trite, back number, back-number, banal, banal.
How do you use "threadbare" in a sentence?
He was wearing a threadbare suit.
How do you pronounce "threadbare"?
Pronounced /ˈθɹɛdbɛə/.
Etymology
PIE word *bʰosós From Middle English thred-bar, thred-bare (“of cloth, clothing, etc.: worn to such an extent that the warp and weft threads show, shabby, worn-out; (figurative) inadequate, poor”) [and other forms], from thred (“piece of textile twine”) (from Old English þrǣd (“thread”), from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz (“thread; twisted fibre”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to drill, pierce; to rub; to turn, twist”)) + bar, bare (“naked, unclothed, bare; not covered”) (from Old English bær (“naked, bare; unconcealed”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“naked, bare”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós (“bare; barefoot”)). The English word is analysable as thread + bare.