discarded

USAGE SUMMARY

'discarded' is an acceptable word in written English.
You can use it when you want to indicate that something has been disposed of or rejected. Example sentence: The old furniture was discarded to make room for the new pieces.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

A majority of jurors said the gun had been discarded by Duggan before he was shot.

The Guardian

The "Brontosaurus" – a name sadly discarded – gave me my start.

The Guardian - Opinion

The child combatant, Arya Stark, necessarily discarded playfighting and embraced the real thing.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

These are the phone numbers or email addresses that are kept after the content of intercepted communications has been discarded.

The Guardian

It looks like a discarded husk from which the monumental shaft has sprouted, a tiny scrap of history at the bottom of the 23-storey monster.

The Guardian - Arts

The report decries the rapid growth of flexible, layered plastic packaging that is not recyclable, citing Kraft's Capri-Sun juice pouches as an example: "If all Capri Sun pouches discarded annually in the United States were laid end to end, they would circle the earth nearly five times; they would also entirely cover the land area of California and Texas," the report says.

The Guardian

I take it to the park in the evening, and although I have to carry it down the front steps, it skitters across the road happily enough, mounts the pavement with a little skip and spends 20 minutes hoovering up discarded sandwiches.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

The dust around Mitchell's discarded clothes has barely stopped smouldering, and the BBC has confirmed that the show will indeed return for a fourth series.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

As dejected Andy Murray fans filed away from SW19, leaving empty bottles of Pimm's and discarded Union flags in their wake, prices immediately plummeted on websites that had been offering men's final tickets at up to £8,500.

The Guardian - Sport

Me doing something "feminine" is a threat because it challenges old ideas of what it means to be a man – ideas that need to be challenged, if not discarded like last season's ugly, outdated cargo shorts.

The Guardian - Opinion

He has brought us King James bibles for every school, religious backers for academies, any backers for free schools, discarded standards of nutrition, dredged up O-levels again, building programmes wrecked, and now any old know-all can come teaching.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "discarded", consider the connotation. It can imply something is unwanted, useless, or obsolete. Choose a synonym if a more neutral term is needed.

Common error

Avoid using "discarded" when a gentler term like "recycled" or "repurposed" would be more appropriate, especially when describing items with potential value.

Linguistic Context

The word "discarded" primarily functions as a past participle or adjective. As a past participle, it's used to form perfect tenses or passive voice. As an adjective, it describes something that has been thrown away or rejected. Ludwig AI confirms the word's acceptability in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

3%

Reference

6%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "discarded" is a versatile word used to describe something that has been thrown away or rejected. As Ludwig AI indicates, it is grammatically sound and appropriate for written English. While its connotation often implies something unwanted or useless, context is key to choosing the most suitable word. It appears most frequently in News & Media, Formal & Business, and Science contexts, making it a commonly used term across diverse areas. Remember to consider the nuances of "discarded" and select synonyms carefully based on the intended message.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

thrown away

Focuses on the physical action of disposing of something.

disposed of

A formal and neutral way of saying something has been discarded.

got rid of

A more informal way of saying something has been discarded.

rejected

Emphasizes the act of refusing to accept something.

abandoned

Implies leaving something behind, often with a sense of neglect.

cast off

Suggests discarding something that was previously attached or worn.

ditched

A slang term for discarding something, often abruptly.

jettisoned

Suggests throwing something overboard, often in a crisis.

scrapped

Implies something is broken or unusable and has been discarded.

relinquished

Voluntarily giving up something.

FAQs

How can I use "discarded" in a sentence?

You can use "discarded" to describe items that have been thrown away or rejected. For example, "The "discarded furniture" was left on the curb."

What are some alternatives to saying "discarded"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives like "thrown away", "rejected", or "disposed of".

Is there a difference between "discarded" and "abandoned"?

"Discarded" implies something is no longer wanted and is thrown away, while "abandoned" suggests leaving something behind, often with a sense of neglect. The phrase "abandoned car" suggests the owner has left it and doesn't intend to retrieve it.

When is it inappropriate to use the word "discarded"?

It might be inappropriate to use "discarded" when describing something that is still valuable or could be reused. In such cases, terms like "recycled" or "repurposed" may be more suitable.