threadbare Synonyms & Antonyms
Choose a meaning, then find a word that fits your sentence.
Threadbare as an Adjective
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.
In poor condition; damaged, shabby; also, poorly equipped or provided for, inadequate, meagre, scanty.
:
Of an argument, excuse, etc.: used so often that it is no longer effective or interesting; banal, clichéd, trite.
An argument or assertion with little in the way of substance or supporting evidence.
:
Of a person: wearing clothes of threadbare (sense 1) material; hence, impoverished, poor.
(of cloth) shabby, frayed and worn to an extent that warp threads show
Damaged or shabby
(of a person) wearing clothes of threadbare material
Banal or clichéd; trite or hackneyed
Threadbare in a Sentence
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Word Forms & Grammar
threadbare (comparative more threadbare, superlative most threadbare)
Words That Rhyme With Threadbare
Origin of Threadbare
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],[1] from thred (“piece of textile twine”)[2] (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”)[3] (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.[4]
Threadbare: Key Facts
| Part of speech | adjective |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //ˈθɹɛdbɛə// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Meaning | Of cloth, clothing, furnishings, etc.: frayed and worn to an extent that the nap is damaged and the warp and… |
| Comparative / superlative | more threadbare, most threadbare |
How Do You Say Threadbare?
Threadbare is pronounced //ˈθɹɛdbɛə// and has 1 syllable.