threadbare
adjective
thread·bare
ˈthred-ˌber 
1
2
: exhausted of interest or freshness
threadbareness
noun
Examples of threadbare in a Sentence
bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale
a novel filled with nothing but threadbare clichés
Recent Examples on the Web
For the past 10 months, since a frustrated Colbert announced the cancellation of the three-decade-old talk show in July 2025, the countdown to his farewell has been looming over Colbert and the whole of the late-night genre like a guillotine with a threadbare rope.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Picture him in his threadbare suit, nervously smoking his Tecla cigarettes, his eyes obliquely devouring everything, his notes on a small table that resembles a pulpit.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
For every person who prefers spending their holiday by the infinity pool of an all-inclusive resort, there’s another who sleeps in moldy dormitories, sweats on hours-long bus rides without air conditioning, and lives out of a bulging, threadbare backpack.
—Tim Brinkhof, Time, 4 May 2026
Unfortunately, De Zerbi will be attempting to earn them with a threadbare squad.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
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Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Picture him in his threadbare suit, nervously smoking his Tecla cigarettes, his eyes obliquely devouring everything, his notes on a small table that resembles a pulpit.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
For every person who prefers spending their holiday by the infinity pool of an all-inclusive resort, there’s another who sleeps in moldy dormitories, sweats on hours-long bus rides without air conditioning, and lives out of a bulging, threadbare backpack.
—Tim Brinkhof, Time, 4 May 2026
Unfortunately, De Zerbi will be attempting to earn them with a threadbare squad.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for threadbare
Cite this Entry
“Threadbare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threadbare. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
threadbare
adjective
thread·bare
ˈthred-ˌba(ə)r
-ˌbe(ə)r
1
: worn so much that the thread shows : shabby
threadbare clothes
2
: barely adequate
a threadbare store with few items
a threadbare event lacking excitement
3
: having lost freshness and interest from overuse
threadbare jokes
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