timeworn

adjective

time·​worn ˈtīm-ˌwȯrn 

1

: worn or impaired by time

timeworn mansions

2

a

: age-old, ancient

timeworn procedures

b

: hackneyed, stale

a timeworn joke

Synonyms

• beat-up
• bombed-out
• dilapidated
• dog-eared
• down-at-the-heels
• down-at-heel
• down-at-the-heel
• down-at-heels
• dumpy
• grungy
• mangy
• mean
• miserable
• moth-eaten
• neglected
• ratty
• run-down
• scrubby
• scruffy
• seedy
• shabby
• sleazy
• tacky
• tatterdemalion
• tatty
• threadbare
• tumbledown

Examples of timeworn in a Sentence

a timeworn sweater with holes in the sleeves

The houses on the street are all timeworn and badly in need of repair.

He gave us the same timeworn speech about the need to work hard.

Recent Examples on the Web

In contrast to the complexity of Jamojaya‘s family drama, its critique of the music industry is built on timeworn cliches about its tendency to chew up bright young artists and spit them out as empty corporate product. —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2023

Regulars fill the timeworn, white-brick building starting from 7 a.m., when this institution, long operated by the Valenzuela family, opens. —Chris Malloy, Bon Appétit, 18 Jan. 2023

Painter Michelle Grabner finds fresh edges in their timeworn imagery and honors the history and labor behind them. —Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Jan. 2023

Some were plain and timeworn; others were lovely; a few were even starry by museum standards. —Roberta Smith, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1