Definition

Adjective: 1. Worn or damaged by long use or the passage of time: Describes something that is old and shows signs of age, wear, or decay from extensive use or existence. 2. Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse: Describes an idea, phrase, or expression that has become stale, unoriginal, and lacking in impact due to excessive repetition.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective (Physical wear):
  • The pilgrims walked up the timeworn stone steps to the ancient temple.
  • He found a timeworn leather journal in the attic, its pages brittle and yellowed.
• Adjective (Overused idea):
  • The politician's speech was full of timeworn clichés that failed to inspire the audience.
  • The article offered a timeworn analysis of the problem, providing no new insights.

Advanced Usage

• "Timeworn tradition": A custom or practice that is very old and has been observed for a long time, often implying it is respected for its age but may also be seen as outdated.
  • The village still follows the timeworn tradition of lighting a bonfire on the winter solstice.
• "Timeworn argument": A point of view or line of reasoning that has been used so frequently it is no longer persuasive or effective.
  • She dismissed his complaint as just another timeworn argument against progress.

Variants and Related Words

• Timeworn (adj.): The standard adjective form.
• Time-worn (adj.): An acceptable hyphenated spelling variant, especially before a noun (e.g., ).

Synonyms

• Worn-out: Extremely worn or used until no longer effective.
• Threadbare: (Of fabric) thin and tattered with age; (of an idea) overused and ineffective.
• Hackneyed: (Of a phrase or idea) lacking significance due to overuse; trite.
• Stale: No longer fresh or interesting; overfamiliar.
• Antiquated: Old-fashioned or outdated.

Antonyms

• New
• Fresh
• Original
• Novel
• Modern

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Worn thin: Similar to "threadbare"; describes something (like patience or an excuse) that has been used so much it has lost its strength or credibility.
  • His apologies are worn thin; no one believes him anymore.
• Old hat: Very familiar and therefore no longer interesting.
  • Using that software is old hat; everyone has moved to the new platform.

Adjective

1. repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
   • bromidic sermons
   • his remarks were trite and commonplace
   • hackneyed phrases
   • a stock answer
   • repeating threadbare jokes
   • parroting some timeworn axiom
   • the trite metaphor `hard as nails'