preloved item

4.1

An object someone owned before and now sells to others

noun

: artículo de segunda mano

You can often find a unique preloved item in secondhand shops or online marketplaces.

Examples

The preloved item arrived in excellent condition, just as described by the seller.
I bought a preloved item from the thrift store.
Buying a preloved item is an eco-friendly choice that supports sustainability.
Look at this beautiful preloved item I found!
Buying a preloved item is an eco-friendly choice that supports sustainability.
You can often find a unique preloved item in secondhand shops or online marketplaces.
The preloved item arrived in excellent condition, just as described by the seller.

Synonyms

hand-me-down

vspreloved item

3 4.0

Describing clothing or objects that have been used and are given to someone else

is typically sold rather than simply passed on

castoff

vspreloved item

1 4.9

Not wanted and often given away

is shown as previously owned and cared for and often sold

Antonyms

unused

1 1.0

A thing that is still new and never touched

How New

brand-newness

1 4.6

preloved item

4.1

used

119 1.0

worn-out

7 3.1

Surface Forms

preloved item singular

preloved items plural

Morphology

preloved + item

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'preloved' can be parsed as 'previously loved' and 'item' denotes an object, so the combined meaning 'previously owned and cared for / secondhand object' is directly inferable. Even if 'preloved' as a single lexical entry is uncommon, its constituent parts are frequent and similar concepts exist cross-linguistically (e.g. 'secondhand', 'usado'), so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The phrase preloved item comes from sellers using preloved to mean 'loved before', a friendly way to show the object was cared for by someone else. That's why preloved item means 'a secondhand object' that was owned and looked after before being sold.