worn

¹

[ wawrn ]

adjective

1. diminished in value or usefulness through wear, use, handling, etc.:

   The car's front tires were very worn, with little tread left.

2. showing a considerable level of use or wear:

   He read his speech from two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been folded and unfolded many times.

3. wearied; exhausted:

   She looked worn but joyful as she held her newborn daughter.

   Synonyms: spent, tired, fatigued

verb

1. the past participle of wear.

-worn

²

1. a combining form with the meaning “showing a specified level of use, deterioration, or consumption”:

   Before you toss that little-worn top, consider if it could be given a second life.

2. a combining form with the meaning “showing wear, deterioration, or exhaustion from a specified cause”:

   The old bridges fit the landscape, maybe because they are as windworn and aged as the land around them.

   The knights were weary and battleworn when they returned to the castle.

worn

/ wɔːn /

verb

1. the past participle of wear 1

adjective

1. affected, esp adversely, by long use or action

   a worn suit

2. haggard; drawn
3. exhausted; spent

Derived Forms

• ˈwornness, noun

Other Words From

• worn·ness noun
• self-worn adjective
• un·worn adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of worn¹

First recorded in 1500–10, for the adjective

Example Sentences

The necklace was previously worn by the Marquess of Anglesey at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, and it was also worn 16 years earlier at King George VI's crowning.

From BBC

She has a prescription of plus nine in one eye and has previously worn an eye patch to help save her sight in it.

From BBC

The jury’s been shown police body worn camera footage in which Mr Thomas, wearing a heavily blood stained top, told police he had been hurt and was acting in self-defence.

From BBC

“It was important to me that lots of the clothes were lived and worn in; clothes that people have experienced wearing in those environments,” adds Snell.

From Los Angeles Times

These were worn on the runway — Spring/Summer 2001 Gucci by Tom Ford.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frayed
• shabby
• tattered
• threadbare
• timeworn
• well-worn