1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés
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3
as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags
I loved that threadbare shirt, but after 10 years of wear, it was time to throw it away
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4
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
never knew that she had so many threadbare relatives until she won the lottery
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of threadbare
Bidgood’s vision is neither as exhilaratingly threadbare as Smith’s nor as perversely opulent as Anger’s — still, blown up to 35-millimeter, the eight-millimeter stock is gorgeously grainy.
—
J. Hoberman, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
The plot, too, is threadbare to the point of incoherence, with a slew of overqualified performers — including Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville — left to fill in the gaps as fairies, man-crows, and anthropomorphized mushroom caps.
—Staff Author, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
United march through threadbare City to Wembley Sunday represented the first of six season-defining litmus tests for United in the newest edition of the Skinner era and United can now emphatically check one off that list.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Everton are threadbare in a number of key positions.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
J. Hoberman, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
The plot, too, is threadbare to the point of incoherence, with a slew of overqualified performers — including Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville — left to fill in the gaps as fairies, man-crows, and anthropomorphized mushroom caps.
—Staff Author, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
United march through threadbare City to Wembley Sunday represented the first of six season-defining litmus tests for United in the newest edition of the Skinner era and United can now emphatically check one off that list.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Everton are threadbare in a number of key positions.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threadbare
Adjective
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In Los Angeles, $500,000 gets you a dilapidated hut in the hood with a permanent police siren soundtrack.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
30 May 2025
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Stay Here: The Spanish family behind Vestige Collection is on a mission to breathe life into the country’s crumbling landmarks and dilapidated palaces.—
Siobhan Reid,
Vogue,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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And then, in close-up, a bulldozer turns over rubble, and a family photograph is glimpsed in the debris, a tattered symbol of what has been lost.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
25 May 2025
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Its tattered and faded copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, Carpenter estimated—though Harvard has no plans to sell it.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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During campaign events, Lee, who grew up in an impoverished farming household and toiled in factories as a child, spoke from behind bullet-proof glass to crowds, which were surveyed by rooftop police snipers.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 June 2025
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Curtis’ extraordinary talent is first recognized in kindergarten, when a charitable foundation donates instruments to his impoverished public school.—
Joan Gaylord,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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But the area where these cuts will be felt most acutely is with respect to elder abuse, which is already a neglected area of health care and social services.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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By upcycling a neglected garment, Hirsch hopes to give someone the chance to experience the beauty and craftsmanship that goes into creating a piece.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the clip, the small dog scuttles into the room clutching his ragged bear, which has a hole that has caused its stuffing to spill out.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
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These others can boast a ragged caliphate, closets full of Che T-shirts, and an upcoming Mission: Impossible movie, respectively.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Programs like food aid for poor children, health care for seniors, and subsidies for day-to-day needs are in the balance.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 June 2025
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Job Corps, established in 1964, provides education and vocational training to disadvantaged youth but has been criticized by the Labor Department for poor outcomes and safety issues.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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While infants and toddlers between the ages of 0 to 2 years are more likely to experience a stuffy nose, cough, poor appetite, fussiness, and sleep problems, children between the ages of 3 to 5 years mainly complain of sleepiness, feeling tired during daytime, low energy and dry cough.—
Anuradha Varanasi,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Family members said Jacobs had talked about feeling tired, but not about wanting to take his own life.—
Ames Alexander,
Charlotte Observer,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Threadbare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threadbare. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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