🚶 A rejected person 📦 A discarded thing 🗑️ No longer wanted

castoff

4.9

Not wanted and often given away

adjective
/ˈkæstˌɔf/

: de segunda mano

The charity collects castoff clothes to distribute to those in need.

Examples

He furnished his apartment with castoff furniture from friends and family.
He found a castoff jacket at the thrift store.
She found a beautiful castoff lamp at the flea market.
These castoff toys were donated to charity.
The charity collects castoff clothes to distribute to those in need.
She found a beautiful castoff lamp at the flea market.
He furnished his apartment with castoff furniture from friends and family.

Synonyms

second hand

vscastoff

19 2.2

Not new, bought from someone who owned it before

emphasizes being unwanted and disposed of rather than mere prior ownership

thrown-away

vscastoff

14 3.4

Something people put in the trash because they do not want it

can also be passed on to others instead of sent to the trash

secondhand

vscastoff

9 2.5

Owned and used before by someone else

focuses more on being unwanted and given away rather than prior use

discarded

vscastoff

2.5

No longer wanted and thrown away

often given away instead of being put out for removal

Antonyms

valued

1 3.7

A person or thing that people see as important because of good qualities

desired

2.5

Something that people want very much

How Wanted

new

∞ 1.0

used

1.0

castoff

4.9

worthless

298 3.0

Surface Forms

castoff positive

Morphology

castoff = cast (transparent) = off + cast

The adjective derives directly from the phrasal verb 'cast off' meaning 'thrown away', so the sense 'discarded' is directly inferable from the parts. [Postprocessing: moved 'off' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Castoff comes from the parts cast 'throw' and off 'away', so it literally means 'thrown away'. Think of furniture someone no longer wants being given to you, which is why castoff describes secondhand items.