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

1 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

4.9

Not wanted and often given away

is shown as previously owned and cared for and often sold

Antonyms

unused

6 1.0

A thing that is still new and never touched

How New

brand-newness

4.6

preloved item

4.1

used

1.0

worn-out

20 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.