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View synonyms for tailor-made

tailor-made

[ adjective tey-ler-meyd; noun tey-ler-meyd, -meyd ]

adjective

  1. custom-made; made-to-order; made-to-measure:

    an expensive tailor-made suit.

  2. fashioned to a particular taste, purpose, demand, etc.:

    a musical comedy tailor-made for the popular audience.



noun

  1. something, as a garment, that is tailor-made.

tailor-made

adjective

  1. made by a tailor to fit exactly

    a tailor-made suit

  2. perfectly meeting a particular purpose

    a girl tailor-made for him

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a tailor-made garment
  2. slang.
    a cigarette made in a factory rather than rolled by hand
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tailor-made1

First recorded in 1825–35
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Example Sentences

But Murphy seems more tailor-made for these times.

The aim is to make spacesuits less of a tailor-made garment, more able to accommodate a wider range of commercial astronaut shapes and sizes in order to reduce costs as human spaceflight becomes more commonplace.

From BBC

But here he’s just an imitation puppet, the high-wattage shell masking a hollow portrait tailor-made for religious conservatives with a thin grasp of history and no tolerance for nuance.

The companies offer funds tailor-made to a specific risk strategy.

In truth, he was tailor-made for a role that saw him grow from a brace-faced teen into a full-fledged adult.

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More About Tailor Made

What does tailor-made mean?

Tailor-made means made to fit the needs or specifications of a particular situation, object, or person—or seeming as though it was made that way.

In its most literal sense, tailor-made is used to describe a piece of clothing made by a tailor, especially a suit. A tailor-made garment like this is made specifically to the measurements of the person that it’s for so that it fits them perfectly. This means that it’s one of a kind, as opposed to clothes that are produced in general sizes (often described as ready-to-wear or off-the-rack).

But describing something as tailor-made doesn’t necessarily mean it was made by a tailor. Things other than clothing can be tailor-made. In many cases, it’s simply another way of saying it was custom-made—made to unique specifications.

Sometimes, the term is used to describe something as seemingly a perfect fit for a person or a situation, even though that thing has not been made specifically for them or even made at all, as in Today’s weather is tailor-made for this hike.

Tailor-made can also be used as the past tense of the verb tailor-make, meaning to make in a way that fits a specific situation, as in They didn’t have the replacement part I needed, so I tailor-made one. 

Less commonly, tailor-made can be used as a noun referring to a tailor-made item, as in Here is my collection of tailor-mades. 

Example: Each student will follow a tailor-made curriculum that’s designed to meet their individual needs.

Where does tailor-made come from?

The first records of the term tailor-made come from the 1800s. The ending -made is used in the same way in handmade (meaning “made by hand”) and machine-made (meaning “made by a machine”).

Tailors are associated with their skill in making garments that fit perfectly, and the verb tailor can mean to adjust things to fit a specific situation. If your suit is tailor-made, it should fit perfectly or exactly the way you want it to fit. Even when tailor-made is used in a more general way, it still describes things that fit perfectly, whether they fit a situation, an object, or a person.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to tailor-made?

What are some synonyms for tailor-made?

What are some words that share a root or word element with tailor-made

What are some words that often get used in discussing tailor-made?

How is tailor-made used in real life?

Tailor-made is usually used as another way of saying custom-made.

 

 

Try using tailor-made!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of tailormade?

A. custom-made
B. made-to-order
C. factory-made
D. made-to-measure

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