wooden

Everyday

1. Wooden means made of wood. tree →
2. Wooden means stiff and without feeling, like a wooden smile or wooden acting. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about materials, wooden objects (spoons, chairs, toys) are hard, strong, and do not conduct heat or electricity well, so wooden spoons stay cool in hot pans. Wood floats and burns. In stories, wooden toys and wooden houses often feel old-fashioned; Pinocchio was a wooden puppet. Phrases: wooden spoon (also a prize for coming last), wooden floor, wooden toy, wooden expression.

Examples

• We stirred the soup with a wooden spoon. tree →
• The old house has a wooden floor. tree →
• Pinocchio was a wooden puppet. tree →
• A wooden ruler doesn't bend. tree →
• The bridge is made of wooden planks. tree →
• The actor's voice sounded wooden. tree →
• Others rode on bicycles or on wooden horses. tree →

Note

Wooden is the adjective; wood is the material (noun): "a wooden box" = "a box made of wood". Similar: woollen (from wool), golden (from gold). "Wooden spoon" in some sports means the team that came last.