wooden

/ˈwʊd.ən/

adjective

  1. Made of wood.

    A1
    • "There is a wooden table in the kitchen."A1
    • "She carved a wooden sculpture."B1
    • "The old wooden bridge crosses the stream."B1

  2. Stiff and difficult to move naturally.

    B1
    • "My legs felt wooden after the long journey."B1

  3. Lacking natural feeling, expression, or spontaneity.

    B2

    informal

    • "The speech sounded wooden and unnatural."B2
    • "His wooden smile didn't reach his eyes."B1
    • "Despite its impressive production, the film was criticized for its wooden dialogue and emotionless characters."C1

Common mistakes

  • woodenly→wooden

    Use 'wooden' as an adjective, not 'woodenly'.

Collocations

wooden tablewooden doorwooden bridgewooden floorwooden legwooden expressionwooden performancewooden face

Word family

woodwoodenlywoodenness