threadbare

threadbare (ˈθrɛdˌbɛə)

—*adj*
1.	(of cloth, clothing, etc) having the nap worn off so that the threads are exposed
2.	meagre or poor: a threadbare existence
3.	hackneyed: a threadbare argument
4.	wearing threadbare clothes; shabby

'threadbareness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Example sentences

In the unlimited leisure of the wilderness, discussion had been worn threadbare.

Dangerous predators are a precious rarity on this mangled and threadbare little

planet.

All sides' failures to abide by commitments have left the peace agreement

threadbare.

There is no scene, no line, no phrase that is not threadbare.

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Related Words

bare

fray

Matching Quote

"A more equal, if threadbare illustration of the antithesis between humanism and the gospel of scientific progress is found, of course, in Montaigne and Bacon.... The sovereignty of man, says Bacon in one of his massive phrases, lieth hid in knowledge. Montaigne would agree, but his terms would have an entirely different meaning. Bacon means that through scientific knowledge man can conquer external nature for his own use and benefit. Montaigne would mean that through study of his own inner strength and weakness man can learn to conquer himself."

-Douglas Bush