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Glite Dictionary
👕 Needs no ironing 🧵 Easy-care fabric
wash-and-wear

wash-and-wear

3.9
Cloth that does not need ironing after it is washed
  • adjective
  • /ˈwɔʃ ənd wɛr/
translation icon : 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
4.6

Does not wash safely with water or soap

How Easy

wash-and-wear
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.