Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Worn or used until no longer usable or effective.
  • adjective Thoroughly exhausted; spent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • So much injured by wear as to be unfit for use: as, a worn-out coat or hat.
  • Wearied; exhausted, as with toil.
  • Past; gone; removed; departed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Consumed, or rendered useless, by wearing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Damaged due to hard or continued use or exposure until no longer useful or effective.
  • adjective Exhausted or fatigued from exertion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
  • adjective drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
  • adjective used until no longer useful

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word worn-out.

Examples

  • The only thing remotely special about today, the only possible beauty in these boring, worn-out ceremonies, lies in whatever personal message is received by each one of us, as unique individuals.

    The Dark Side of Innocence Terri Cheney 2011

  • And that indefatigable blogger has gone further to theorize about how such hats were created: It appears that the first people to wear the original 'Jughead'-styled caps were auto mechanics, welders and other workmen who found they could get the same' safety 'function of a factory worker's beanie by altering an old worn-out fedora.

    Archive 2009-05-01 2009

  • Remember, worn-out oil doesn't necessarily look dirty.

    Me & My Car 2011

  • Remember, worn-out oil doesn't necessarily look dirty.

    Me & My Car 2011

  • He said it is true that Kinshasa has roads and fewer problems, but he maintains the registration kits are old and worn-out, the election staff are not trained, and policemen are asking for bribes from people.

    Congo Opposition Calls for Extended Voter Registration 2011

  • The only thing remotely special about today, the only possible beauty in these boring, worn-out ceremonies, lies in whatever personal message is received by each one of us, as unique individuals.

    The Dark Side of Innocence Terri Cheney 2011

  • What Charter 08 and Mr. Liu are saying is, "No, 'China' can be something different, something better than a worn-out, old-style authoritarian government."

    A Nobel Vision of a Better China Perry Link 2010

  • As we were in line paying our bill, a blue eyed semi-smiling guy mid to elderly, with a frumpy, well worn-out straw hat in a tattered, well worn-out washed away white long john top, and wearing scruffy jeans, heard us and volunteered to help by introducing us to someone who could complete the tour task at hand.

    Patzcuaro Bonito! 2009

  • But joyous children (and their dogs) are everywhere: tearing through the maze of alleys, clomping through puddles, singing with delight in their cheap, tidy school clothes in their cement (again treeless) schoolyards, and playing in grimy streets under the watchful eyes of worn-out mothers who sit on their well-scrubbed front steps in their threadbare frocks.

    Intimate History 2010

  • He said it is true that Kinshasa has roads and fewer problems, but he maintains the registration kits are old and worn-out, the election staff are not trained, and policemen are asking for bribes from people.

    Congo Opposition Calls for Extended Voter Registration 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.