Well-worn (Adjective)
Meaning 1
Showing signs of much wear or use.
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The well-worn jeans had been my favorite for years and were starting to show signs of their age.
- Her well-worn Bible was a testament to her dedication to her faith.
- The well-worn couch had been a fixture in the family room for decades.
- After years of frequent travel, my well-worn suitcase was in desperate need of replacement.
- The well-worn soles of my hiking boots told the story of countless miles of rugged terrain.
Meaning 2
Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; "bromidic sermons"; "his remarks were trite and commonplace"; "hackneyed phrases"; "a stock answer"; "repeating threadbare jokes"; "parroting some timeworn axiom"; "the trite metaphor `hard as nails'".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The politician's speech was filled with well-worn phrases that lacked any real conviction or originality.
- The comedian's jokes were well-worn and predictable, failing to elicit more than a few chuckles from the audience.
- After hearing the same well-worn excuses for weeks, the teacher had lost patience with the student's lack of effort.
- The well-worn metaphor of "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" had been used so often that it had lost all meaning.
- The company's well-worn slogan, "quality you can trust," had become a hollow promise in the wake of recent scandals.