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

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

Inside, handmade cardboard circles with the Dodgers logo surrounded by crystals hung from the wall.

From Los Angeles Times

Some had cardboard signs with the band's lyrics on them, including one saying "I'm missing half of me when we're apart", from the band's single If I Could Fly.

From BBC

Related Words

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