👕 Needs no ironing 🧵 Easy-care fabric

wash-and-wear

1 3.9

Cloth that does not need ironing after it is washed

adjective
/ˈwɔʃ ənd wɛr/

: lavable

I prefer wash-and-wear clothing because it is so easy to care for.

Examples

In 1958, wash-and-wear cotton clothes hit the consumer market.

Academic text (2002)
I love their wash and wear silk dresses and tops.
These wash-and-wear fabrics save a lot of time by eliminating the need for ironing.
Her new wash-and-wear dress looks great straight out of the dryer.

Synonyms

drip-dry

vswash-and-wear

1 3.7

Able to dry when hung up after washing without needing ironing

dries quickly and easily without needing to be hung

Antonyms

nonwashable

1 4.6

Does not wash safely with water or soap

How Easy

wrinkleless

1 4.6

wash-and-wear

1 3.9

washable

7 1.0

delicate

4 4.6

Surface Forms

wash-and-wear positive

Morphology

wash-and-wear = wash + wear (transparent) = wash + and + wear

A literal coordinated compound 'wash' + 'and' + 'wear' whose meaning (can be washed and worn without ironing) follows directly from its parts.

Etymology

Wash-and-wear comes from the simple English words wash 'to clean with water' and wear 'to put on', and it began as a promise from clothing makers that you could wash the item and wear it straight away without ironing. That's why wash-and-wear clothes are easy to care for and do not need much ironing.