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worn

worn

2 2.8
Looking very tired because of too much work or worry
  • adjective
  • /wɔrn/
translation icon : cansado
  • She is... pretty worn and torn.
  • worn and weary
  • looked worn
  • so worn

She just, you know, was worn out from all of that, that stress.

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Examples

  • And I am worn and exhausted, but I see the hidden beauty still in the still small hours.

    Blog text (2)
  • He looked older now, worn and weary, as if he, too, bore a terrible burden of memory.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The poor girl seemed very worn, but was showing a brave face.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • She just, you know, was worn out from all of that, that stress.

  • The room was spacious, even inviting in its own austere way, and yet it had a certain worn and empty air about it.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • He looked awfully tired and worn.

  • He smiled, though it was a worn, tense smile.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • He was still standing, but he looked tired and worn, like he would have fallen over willingly had someone just pushed him.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Stupidity, lethargy: I was now just a worn-out office worker, worn-out like the years of youth.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • After working late for several weeks, she looked worn and in need of a vacation.

Synonyms

tired
vsworn
1.0

Needing rest or sleep because you have little energy

is more about outward appearance caused by prolonged hardship or worry
weary
vsworn
129 3.2

Feeling very tired after hard work or long effort

leans more toward visible effects of worry, hardship, or suffering specifically
exhausted
vsworn
104 2.0

Very tired and completely used up for a person or thing after using all energy

focuses more on how hardship and worry show on the face and body
burned-out
vsworn
27 4.4

Very tired after doing too much work for a long time

highlights visible effects of suffering and overwork rather than clinical burnout
worn out
vsworn
23 2.9

Feeling very tired and having no energy

emphasizes visible signs of hardship and worry rather than only lack of energy
fatigued
vsworn
13 4.1

Feeling very tired and having no energy

stresses the outward, visible signs of hardship and suffering rather than performance drop
haggard
vsworn
12 7.0

Looking very tired and pale from worry, illness, or lack of food

is like this but focuses on general visible hardship not illness only
knackered
vsworn
  • UK
3 8.5

Feeling very tired and having no energy

is about visible effects of long worry and suffering rather than just inability to continue
careworn
vsworn
1 7.7

Having a tired, worried face after a long time of worry or too much work

is similar but stresses visible signs from hardship or suffering rather than worry alone
drawn
vsworn
4.9

A face that looks tired, pale, and worried

covers the same visible strain but also broader signs of long hardship
raddled
vsworn
  • UK
9.9

Looking worn and tired from long hard times

is about general visible signs of fatigue and suffering rather than disarray
wearied
vsworn
3.4

Feeling very tired after hard physical or mental effort

focuses more on visible signs of long worry or hardship than internal depletion
overworn
vsworn
6.1

Very tired because of too much work or travel

is similar but stresses how the face and body show long hardship
knickered
vsworn
  • UK
9.6

Very tired after hard physical activity

focuses on visible signs from long suffering or worry rather than recent exertion

Antonyms

93 1.6

Full of energy and active

1 1.5

Feeling rested and full of new energy after a break

Compounds

23 2.9

Feeling very tired and having no energy

3 4.6

A phrase or idea used so often that it is no longer interesting

1 4.4

A place on a surface where the material is thin from being used a lot

Tired and showing signs of a long trip, like a dusty coat

8.5

Damaged and tired after long years of war

How Tired

spent
3.5
exhausted
104 2.0
worn
2 2.8
to weary
4 4.4
tired
1.0
sleepy
142 1.0

Surface Forms

worn positive
wearier comparative
wornest superlative

Morphology

worn = wear (semi-transparent) = wear + en

The adjective is formally the past participle of 'wear', but the meaning 'looking tired' is a metaphorical extension from being 'worn down' and is slightly less directly predictable.

Etymology

Worn also comes from the verb wear, which gave the idea of being 'used up', so people began to call a tired face or person worn. That's why when someone looks worn, they show the signs of long work, worry, or tiredness.