Cardboard

/ˈkɑːdbɔːd/ · noun

Meaning

A wood-based material resembling heavy paper, used in the manufacture of boxes, cartons and signs..

Definitions by Sense

1. A wood-based material resembling heavy paper, used in the manufacture of boxes, cartons and signs.
2. (figurative) Something flat or insubstantial.
3. Made of or resembling cardboard; (figurative) flat or flavorless.

Example Sentences

In my experience, one of the most vital times in the life of a piece of fiction is when a character begins to speak, timidly and softly, in one's head. Honest and true books get written when the author feels free to coax and invite that character in. If the author's response to that small voice is instead to submit it to a test: "Are you: black/white/gay/straight/male/female/Christian/Jewish/old/young/politically correct" the character will probably turn around and leave or else turn into cardboard.

According to these keyboard warriors, the young men and women who survived the shooting are part of a big hoax, are liars, are mere cardboard cutouts – “crisis actors” who roam the country looking for mass shootings from which to promote their anti-gun message – all being pushed forward by the giant liberal machine that is Hillary Clinton’s robot attack army.

MUMMER 3 pulls out an inflated cushion with a very cardboard crown on it.

The worst of the thing, however, is that the enormity, such as it is, happens to be of a very cardboard and tinsel character.

The thing really looked quite cardboard.

While Lensky’s character is quite cardboard, Onegin’s manipulations and lack of ability to call off the duel because he fears society’s jibes, Lensky’s youth and naivety, and Tatiana’s reaction to the duel lend the event its gravity.

Synonyms for cardboard

Antonyms for cardboard

Related Words

Word Forms

• cardboards

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions