threadbare
adjective
thread·bare ˈthred-ˌber 
1
a
: having the nap worn off so that the thread shows : shabby
threadbare clothes
b
: wearing threadbare clothing : very poor
took in threadbare relatives
Russell Baker
Russell Baker c
: barely adequate because of cheapness or shabbiness
a threadbare production
2
: exhausted of interest or freshness
threadbareness noun
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
- timeworn
- tumbledown
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés
Recent Examples on the Web The nation’s health care system is so threadbare that Haitians regularly die of easily treatable ailments like diarrhea, and public hospitals often have to charge patients for basics like syringes and gloves. Catherine Porter, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020 There, threadbare health care services, the impossibility of social distancing in packed slum communities, and an absence of economic safety nets are incubating a human tragedy of potentially cataclysmic scale. Paul Salopek, National Geographic, 6 Apr. 2020 And proximity to both nature and death can sometimes draw us closer to it, can thin the veil into something threadbare and shimmering. Mary Pembleton, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 After the unexpected gift of Lamb, the second day was about the need to stock a threadbare defense. David Moore, Dallas News, 25 Apr. 2020 Inside a tent encampment in Sicily, an immigrant laborer ties a threadbare piece of cloth over his face to protect himself from the virus. David Kortava, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2020 Coronavirus response is currently a threadbare patchwork of local, state, and national activity, but that may change as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc. David Karpf, Wired, 10 Apr. 2020 The Browns are in an excellent position to fortify their offensive line after leaving it glaringly threadbare in 2019. Scott Patsko, cleveland, 8 Apr. 2020 Economic inequality is exacerbated by racial injustice, both held in place by a threadbare social-safety net. Keeanga-yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2020 See More
Catherine Porter, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020 There, threadbare health care services, the impossibility of social distancing in packed slum communities, and an absence of economic safety nets are incubating a human tragedy of potentially cataclysmic scale. Paul Salopek, National Geographic, 6 Apr. 2020 And proximity to both nature and death can sometimes draw us closer to it, can thin the veil into something threadbare and shimmering. Mary Pembleton, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 After the unexpected gift of Lamb, the second day was about the need to stock a threadbare defense. David Moore, Dallas News, 25 Apr. 2020 Inside a tent encampment in Sicily, an immigrant laborer ties a threadbare piece of cloth over his face to protect himself from the virus. David Kortava, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2020 Coronavirus response is currently a threadbare patchwork of local, state, and national activity, but that may change as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc. David Karpf, Wired, 10 Apr. 2020 The Browns are in an excellent position to fortify their offensive line after leaving it glaringly threadbare in 2019. Scott Patsko, cleveland, 8 Apr. 2020 Economic inequality is exacerbated by racial injustice, both held in place by a threadbare social-safety net. Keeanga-yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
threadbare
adjective
thread·bare ˈthred-ˌber
1
: worn so much that the thread shows : shabby
2
: not effective because of overuse
a threadbare excuse
threadbare
adjective
1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dilapidated
- neglected
- tattered
- tatty
- shabby
- abandoned
- scruffy
- mangy
- tired
- ragged
- miserable
- ratty
- desolate
- timeworn
- tumbledown
- tatterdemalion
- seedy
- grungy
- dumpy
- tacky
- scrubby
- moth-eaten
- ruined
- broken
- beat-up
- down-at-heel
- sleazy
- dog-eared
- down-at-the-heels
- run-down
- bombed-out
- down-at-the-heel
- damaged
- decrepit
- unkept
- down-at-heels
- dingy
- wrecked
- deteriorated
- gone to seed
- godforsaken
- mean
- rickety
- deteriorating
- forlorn
- ramshackle
- bedraggled
- decaying
- worn-out
- destroyed
- broken-down
- rackety
- rattletrap
- injured
- hurt
- impaired
- harmed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- new
- fresh
- mended
- brand-new
- maintained
- patched
- spiffy
- kept-up
- reconstructed
- cared-for
- rebuilt
- spruce
- smart
2
as in tired
used or heard so often as to be dull a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés Synonyms & Similar Words
- tired
- cliche
- stereotyped
- hackneyed
- shopworn
- commonplace
- clichéd
- obligatory
- timeworn
- old
- well-worn
- banal
- cliché
- stale
- musty
- cobwebby
- boring
- trite
- usual
- moth-eaten
- typical
- cardboard
- tiring
- hackney
- hack
- conventional
- dull
- dusty
- standard
- platitudinous
- unimaginative
- ordinary
- drab
- derivative
- heavy
- uninspired
- weary
- wearying
- bromidic
- tiresome
- uninteresting
- prosaic
- normal
- dry
- unoriginal
- vapid
- dreary
- imitative
- arid
- pedestrian
- wearisome
- monotonous
- barren
- rote
- humdrum
- tedious
- stodgy
- tame
- routine
- stock
- leaden
- ready-made
- ponderous
- flat
- stuffy
- colorless
- canned
- jejune
- platitudinal
- drudging
- pedantic
- undramatic
- twice-told
- cookie-cutter
- numbing
- tried-and-true
- old hat
- ho-hum
- mind-numbing
- jading
- old-fashioned
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- new
- original
- fresh
- novel
- unhackneyed
- exciting
- enlivening
- intriguing
- interesting
- riveting
- engrossing
- gripping
- strange
- stimulating
- unfamiliar
- involving
- unclichéd
- extraordinary
- unusual
- atypical
- energizing
- engaging
- galvanizing
- animating
- uncommon
- invigorating
- absorbing
- unaccustomed
- unprecedented
- unknown
- pioneering
- unheard-of
- pathbreaking
- trailblazing
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- tattered
- ragged
- faded
- frayed
- shabby
- raggedy
- ratty
- worn-out
- seedy
- dilapidated
- dingy
- scruffy
- shredded
- dowdy
- patchy
- lacerated
- tatterdemalion
- decrepit
- mangy
- holey
- tacky
- grungy
- lacerate
- scuzzy
- broken-down
- dog-eared
- moth-eaten
- run-down
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unused
- new
- brand-new
- spick-and-span
- spic-and-span
4
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions never knew that she had so many threadbare relatives until she won the lottery Synonyms & Similar Words
- impoverished
- poor
- broke
- beggared
- destitute
- bankrupt
- beggarly
- deprived
- needful
- penurious
- penniless
- impecunious
- indigent
- poverty-stricken
- needy
- pauperized
- skint
- necessitous
- famished
- bankrupted
- dirt-poor
- hard up
- down-and-out
- depressed
- distressed
- ruined
- out of pocket
- underprivileged
- disadvantaged
- out at elbows
- hardscrabble
- straitened
- busted
- short
- out at the elbows
- insolvent
- poorish
- dispossessed
- pinched
- reduced
- down on one's luck
- unaffluent
- bust
- hand-to-mouth
- possessionless
- low
- tapped out
- cash-strapped
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- opulent
- rich
- wealthy
- affluent
- moneyed
- monied
- fat
- comfortable
- flush
- well-off
- well-to-do
- fat-cat
- silk-stocking
- well-heeled
- prosperous
- deep-pocketed
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of threadbare are hackneyed, stereotyped, and trite. While all these words mean "lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest," threadbare applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted.
a mystery novel with a threadbare plot
The words hackneyed and threadbare can be used in similar contexts, but hackneyed stresses being worn out by overuse so as to become dull and meaningless.
all of the metaphors and images in the poem are hackneyed
In some situations, the words stereotyped and threadbare are roughly equivalent. However, stereotyped implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form.
views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date
The synonyms trite and threadbare are sometimes interchangeable, but trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.
"you win some, you lose some" is a trite expression