wooden

[wood-n]

adjective

1. consisting or made of wood; wood.

   a wooden ship.

2. stiff, ungainly, or awkward.

   a wooden gait.

3. without spirit, animation, or awareness.

   Synonyms: impassive, lifeless, vacant, expressionless

4. dull or stupid.

5. indicating the fifth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

wooden

/ ˈwʊdən /

adjective

1. made from or consisting of wood

2. awkward or clumsy

3. bereft of spirit or animation

   a wooden expression

4. obstinately unyielding

   a wooden attitude

5. mentally slow or dull

6. not highly resonant

   a wooden thud

verb

1. slang,  (tr) to fell or kill (a person or animal)

Other Word Forms

• woodenly adverb
• woodenness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wooden¹

First recorded in 1530–40; wood ¹ + -en ²

Example Sentences

Mary Roy turned much of her fury on her son, once beating him until a wooden ruler broke, punishment for being merely "average" while his sister excelled in school.

From BBC

It consists of a 20-foot-long wooden table with six matching chairs each nearly 10 feet tall.

From Los Angeles Times

The footage shows the Terra Nova colonised with sea life, but key features of the wooden ship are still visible including its wheel, winch and mast.

From BBC

It is not long before we reach a heavy wooden door with one of the round, smooth door handles.

From BBC

There are no discarded once-frozen coffee drinks sweating rings onto wooden tables; no empty Styrofoam takeout containers littering kitchen counters mere inches away from the trash can.

From Los Angeles Times