threadbare means of cloth, clothing, furnishings, etc.: frayed and worn to an extent that the nap is damaged and the warp and weft threads show; shabby, worn-out. It carries an Arena rating of 1676, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, threadbare ranks #483 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #732 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #871 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,233 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
threadbare is pronounced /ˈθɹɛdbɛə/.
Why “threadbare” is a great word
Worn to the point where the underlying threads are visible, or, by extension, overused to the point of ineffectiveness. From Middle English *thred-bar*, *thred-bare*, compounding *thred* (thread, from Old English *þrǣd*, from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz*, from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-*, 'to rub, twist') with *bare* (naked, from Old English *bær*, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz*, from PIE *bʰosós*, 'bare'), first recorded 1325–75. Unlike 'shabby,' which suggests a general neglect without the specific mechanism of deterioration, or 'trite,' which evacuates the physical metaphor entirely, *threadbare* keeps the textile in view. It is the sheen on the elbow of a favorite coat, the velvet of a theatre seat rubbed to its canvas soul, and an argument repeated until its weave is so strained you can read the newspaper through it—a quiet admission that everything, from wool to wisdom, can be worn down to its constituent threads by the relentless friction of use.
Etymology
From Middle English thred-bar, thred-bare (“of cloth, clothing, etc.: worn to such an extent that the warp and weft threads show, shabby, worn-out; (figurative) inadequate, poor”) [and other forms], from thred (“piece of textile twine”) (from Old English þrǣd (“thread”), from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz (“thread; twisted fibre”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to drill, pierce; to rub; to turn, twist”)) + bar, bare (“naked, unclothed, bare; not covered”) (from Old English bær (“naked, bare; unconcealed”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“naked, bare”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós (“bare; barefoot”)). The English word is analysable as thread + bare.
adj
- Of cloth, clothing, furnishings, etc.: frayed and worn to an extent that the nap is damaged and the warp and weft threads show; shabby, worn-out.
- In poor condition; damaged, shabby; also, poorly equipped or provided for, inadequate, meagre, scanty.e.g.“Welth and wyt, I say, be so threde bare worne, / That all is without measure, and fer beyonde the mone.” — a. 1530 (date written), John Skelton, “Magnyfycence, a Goodly Interlude and a Mery, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […], publis
- Of an argument, excuse, etc.: used so often that it is no longer effective or interesting; banal, clichéd, trite.
- An argument or assertion with little in the way of substance or supporting evidence.
- Of a person: wearing clothes of threadbare (sense 1) material; hence, impoverished, poor.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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