moth-eaten

adjective

ˈmȯth-ˌē-tᵊn How to pronounce moth-eaten (audio)
Definition of moth-eatennext
1
as in obsolete
having passed its time of use or usefulness moth-eaten scientific theories that no one's believed in ages

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect a man who's been wearing the same moth-eaten clothes for decades

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull an uncle who tells the same moth-eaten stories every Thanksgiving

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moth-eaten
  1. obsolete
  2. dilapidated
  3. stereotyped
  4. archaic
  5. neglected
  6. tired
  7. antiquated
  8. hackneyed
Adjective
  • As vehicles age, OE on-board hardware becomes obsolete as cellular providers replace older technology and automakers stop investing in aging back-end stacks and features.
    — Michael Harley, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
  • Congress empowered this group of experts because its leadership recognized obsolete military bases needed to be closed or consolidated but individual lawmakers would inevitably block any changes to protect their home state facilities.
    — Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • Officials remain optimistic the project’s kickoff will reinvigorate residents to return to the dilapidated area.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
  • Its current chapter as a travel venue is helmed by the Greene family, who bought the property in 2000 and began to restore it from a dilapidated state.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Definition of stereotyped
Adjective
  • The work doesn’t really get into the significance of these archaic sequences.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
  • The other branches—the archaic hominins, as scientists call them—include the Neanderthals, who lived across Europe and western Asia, and the Denisovans, who are known mostly from a handful of fossils found in Siberia and Tibet.
    — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 30 July 2026
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • Investors and analysts are increasingly looking to other parts of the market, both to find neglected sources of value and to start assuming a defensive posture against a possible downturn.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • Changing their environment is more reliable and more neglected.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of neglected
Adjective
  • One way to discourage the habit would be to keep yourself from becoming overly tired.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 30 July 2026
  • Many of those creators can no longer command the same fees from brands, and more often than not their followers are tired of the same old content.
    — Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 30 July 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • Founders Anton Juric and Niklas Lindgren developed the solution after recognizing significant inefficiencies and antiquated software in manual MEP design.
    — David Prosser, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Skip heavy drapes, oversized hutches, and large floral centerpieces, which read as antiquated.
    — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 24 July 2026
Definition of antiquated
Adjective
  • Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.
    — Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of hackneyed
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

mothballs
moth-eaten
mother
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Cite this Entry

“Moth-eaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moth-eaten. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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