Home > Antonyms > Antonyms for wear

Antonyms for wear

Grammar : Noun, verb
Spell : wair
Phonetic Transcription : wɛər

Definition of wear

Origin :
  • Old English werian "to clothe, put on," from Proto-Germanic *wazjanan (cf. Old Norse verja, Old High German werian, Gothic gawasjan "to clothe"), from PIE *wes- "to clothe" (cf. Sanskrit vaste "he puts on," vasanam "garment;" Avestan vah-; Greek esthes "clothing," hennymi "to clothe," eima "garment;" Latin vestire "to clothe;" Welsh gwisgo, Breton gwiska; Old English wæstling "sheet, blanket;" Hittite washshush "garments," washanzi "they dress").
  • The Germanic forms "were homonyms of the vb. for 'prevent, ward off, protect' (Goth. warjan, O.E. werian, etc.), and this was prob. a factor in their early displacement in most of the Gmc. languages" [Buck]. Shifted from a weak verb (past tense and past participle wered) to a strong one (past tense wore, past participle worn) in 14c. on analogy of rhyming strong verbs such as bear and tear.
  • Secondary sense of "use up, gradually damage" (late 13c.) is from effect of continued use on clothes. To be the worse for wear is attested from 1782; noun phrase wear and tear is first recorded 1660s.
  • noun use, corrosion
  • verb be clothed in
  • verb corrode, use
  • verb bother, undermine
  • verb endure
Example sentences :
  • Was it probable that she had anything suitable to wear to a lecture?
  • Extract from : « Ester Ried Yet Speaking » by Isabella Alden
  • The grace of your figure makes everything you wear becoming.
  • Extract from : « The Dramatic Values in Plautus » by Wilton Wallace Blancke
  • Dare you to wear your brother's coat without the crescent which should stamp you as his cadet.
  • Extract from : « The White Company » by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Why, you jack-fool, what would it be about save who should wear the crown of France?
  • Extract from : « The White Company » by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • No wonder Lady Macbeth declares she would be ashamed "to wear a heart so white."
  • Extract from : « The Man Shakespeare » by Frank Harris
  • The question of what to wear became, for the men, an earnest one.
  • Extract from : « K » by Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • Mr. Jenkins, the grocer, rented a cutaway, and bought a new Panama to wear with it.
  • Extract from : « K » by Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • The loose, flowing robe of her daily wear is of classic grace and dignity.
  • Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
  • But twas right not to stay long enough to wear out your welcome.
  • Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
  • If we wear peace on our mouths we wear it in our hearts also.'
  • Extract from : « The Trail Book » by Mary Austin

Synonyms for wear

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019