cardboard

[ kahrd-bawrd, -bohrd ]

noun

1. a thin, stiff pasteboard, used for signs, boxes, etc.

adjective

1. resembling cardboard, especially in flimsiness:

   an apartment with cardboard walls.

2. not fully lifelike; shallow; two-dimensional:

   a play with cardboard characters.

cardboard

/ ˈkɑːdˌbɔːd /

noun

1. 1. a thin stiff board made from paper pulp and used esp for making cartons
   2. ( as modifier )

      cardboard boxes

adjective

1. prenominal without substance

   a cardboard smile

   a cardboard general

Word History and Origins

Origin of cardboard¹

First recorded in 1840–50; card ¹ + board

Example Sentences

Hsiao’s handmade ceramics and figurines, many of which she cuts out using a cardboard template after rolling the clay flat with a slab roller, exhibit a playful style that is thoroughly her own.

From Los Angeles Times

Students wore “Make America Great Again” T-shirts and hats, toted at least two Trump cardboard cutouts and cheered loudly as a school security guard brandished a Trump banner.

From Los Angeles Times

The mother of the guy who played Troilus made all the costumes, Mandvi recalled, and so he came out onstage with a cardboard sword with a crease in it.

From Los Angeles Times

Bonus: The round, easy-open cardboard container — roughly the size of a tuna-fish can — is cute enough to keep around long after the seeds have been planted.

From Los Angeles Times

"We were stripped back to living out of cardboard boxes. There was nothing there," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• labored
• monotonous
• plodding
• stilted
• stodgy
• stuffy