worn-out 1 of 2

adjective

ˈwȯrn-ˈau̇t How to pronounce worn-out (audio)
Definition of worn-outnext
1
as in tired
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness worn-out tourists heading back to their hotel after a hard day of sightseeing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags used a worn-out T-shirt for dusting the furniture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

worn out

2 of 2

verb

past participle of wear out
as in worn
to use up all the physical energy of keeping up with twin toddlers wears me out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of worn-out
Adjective
Palestinians have long called for mobile homes and caravans to be allowed in to protect them against living in impractical and worn-out tents. — Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026 How cancer starts Cells produce more cells to grow, replace older or worn-out cells or to repair damaged tissues. — Julie Phillippi, The Conversation, 21 July 2025
Verb
Old Age Sometimes, yellow monstera leaves are old and worn out. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2026 The conditions could help them, given the pitches will be worn out and tired after the heatwave that has gripped the United Kingdom, but few Pakistani supporters will believe their team can win. — Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for worn-out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worn-out
  1. tired
  2. tattered
  3. worn
  4. exhausted
  5. ragged
  6. killed
  7. weary
  8. faded
Adjective
  • And most of us are tired of paying for the playthings of millionaires and billionaires.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Airbnb guests who are tired of spending the final hour of their vacation stripping beds and scrubbing pans are about to get a break.
    — Lena Borrelli, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • Victoria Justice dressed up for her Halloween party in a distressed zombie look featuring a tattered black minidress and edgy boots.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In her translation, where papyri were tattered or a word obscured, Carson indicates this by using brackets and white space.
    — Amy Cannon, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tattered
Verb
  • The Military Police provided recordings from 532 cameras worn by 527 officers.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Mercato tote bag Inspired by a spacious shopper, this leather tote can be worn with the sides cinched or open.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of worn
Adjective
  • The thematic and stylistic proclivities of the collective had barely been uncovered, much less exhausted, during my time with them.
    — Nolan Kelly, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Her physicality is that of a -longsuffering, exhausted parent.
    — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of exhausted
Adjective
  • On his second lap at Monza, Antonelli went past the ragged edge.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While a commercial transatlantic flight would have left me feeling tired and ragged, my body barely registered the six-hour journey.
    — Debra Kamin, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ragged
Verb
  • Two women, ages 50 and 60, were killed and dozens of other people were wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Samuels was killed just minutes after posting about Wright's abuse on social media.
    — WCCO Staff, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of killed
Adjective
  • The political hardball and outside money have left some observers weary.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Voting reflected unease over Netanyahu’s alliance with the far-right and anger in a war-weary nation over military draft exemptions for the significant ultra-Orthodox Jewish population.
    — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of weary
Adjective
  • Investigators described him as a white male in his late 50s, with a scruffy, gray beard who was wearing a faded blue baseball cap.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The landscape flowed in ridges and mountains of faded yellow and whisper pink, where welwitschia–large, low-lying plants that live to be hundreds of years old–sprawled like relics from a Dune film set.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded

Browse Nearby Words

worn on
worn-out
worn out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worn-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worn-out. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All