ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English thredbare, from thred thread + bare
1.
a. : worn to the point that the thread is visible : having the nap wholly or partly worn off
threadbare clothes
b. : clad in threadbare clothing : shabby
a neat but threadbare clerk
2. : suggesting a threadbare fabric (as in poverty of invention, meanness, or shabbiness) : scanty , barren
a threadbare history
3. : having lost its freshness or bloom : lacking in novelty or interest : trite , hackneyed
Synonyms: see trite