1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of threadbare
In the late ’70s, Hooper’s movie had made its way from first-run theaters to the threadbare drive-ins of New England.
—
Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024
Nonprofits offer a wide but threadbare safety net Across the U.S., nonprofit agencies offer a range of services to people who are homeless, including shelter, housing, rehabilitation, job training and counseling.
—Morvarid Rahmani, The Conversation, 25 July 2024
Johnson was presiding over a threadbare caucus in which a motion against his job was a daily threat.
—Juliegrace Brufke, Axios, 25 July 2024
But, with fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might one day spread into other parts of Europe, military officials say the British armed forces remain dangerously threadbare.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 5 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024
Nonprofits offer a wide but threadbare safety net Across the U.S., nonprofit agencies offer a range of services to people who are homeless, including shelter, housing, rehabilitation, job training and counseling.
—Morvarid Rahmani, The Conversation, 25 July 2024
Johnson was presiding over a threadbare caucus in which a motion against his job was a daily threat.
—Juliegrace Brufke, Axios, 25 July 2024
But, with fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might one day spread into other parts of Europe, military officials say the British armed forces remain dangerously threadbare.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 5 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threadbare
Adjective
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The hotel is founded and managed by locals, who transformed a dilapidated bed-and-breakfast into a six-acre luxury hotel in 2001.—
Maya Kachroo-Levine,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2025
-
They were forced to live in dilapidated buildings with mold, sewage, and rodent issues, and were confined to their rooms for weeks on end.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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What if standing up to Trump is the very thing that saves the Liberal Party, and Trudeau’s tattered legacy?—
Talib Visram,
TIME,
7 Feb. 2025
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But the tattered state of the alliance system is not Trump’s doing alone.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Feb. 2020
Adjective
-
Three generations of the Kim family have created a politically repressed and economically impoverished state that is nonetheless a pivotal actor on the global stage.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Now with all these things vanished, along with the bookstores and repertory cinemas, the city seems impoverished and disfigured.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This was to help end the puppy mill industry, where dogs are bred en masse, leading them to be born and raised in filthy and neglected conditions.—
Andrew Sheeler,
Sacramento Bee,
12 Feb. 2025
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If coordinated correctly, Trump’s tariff threats offer an enormous opportunity for America’s neglected waterfront.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Tragedies can be examined by those outside of its sphere of destruction, but the groundswell of feeling from Mexican viewers and critics is that there was little or no care taken to understand the cultural grief beyond stereotyped spectacle.—
Lucy Ford,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
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Founded by artists who grew up in Maryvale, Salcido said the purpose of Labor is to be the bridge that shows the artistic capacity and potential of Maryvale because the neighborhood is too often stereotyped, underrepresented and ignored.—
David Ulloa Jr,
The Arizona Republic,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Is there something about the needy Anja and her ragged child that the barren Isabell responds to?—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Helena reached the microlight, adjusted her ponytail, and then climbed into the back seat, as the birds flew in ragged circles nearby.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Without education, students with disabilities face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health, and social isolation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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This initiative helped avert potential global famines and boosted incomes for poor farmers, particularly in Asia.—
A.J. Russo,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In the skincare world, the best retinol serums are put on a pedestal, touted for their ability to breathe new life into tired, aging skin.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
24 Feb. 2025
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If Lionel Messi and his teammates seem a bit tired and stiff in their MLS season opener against NYCFC on Saturday night, there is a reasonable explanation.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
22 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to threadbare
Cite this Entry
“Threadbare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threadbare. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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