Meaning & use
homespun
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Rough cloth made by hand at home, especially wool woven in a simple way.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about 'some homespun' or 'a piece of homespun', not 'a homespun'.
Patterns
- wear homespun
- a coat made of homespun
The farmers wore homespun that their families had woven themselves.
She bought a length of homespun at the village market.
adjectivebefore a noun
Made of rough cloth woven at home rather than in a factory.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a homespun shirt; it is not used after 'be' in this sense.
Patterns
- a homespun shirt
- homespun wool
He arrived in a homespun jacket with wooden buttons.
The museum displays homespun blankets from the last century.
adjectivebefore a nounfigurative
Simple and plain in style, often in a way that seems old-fashioned but honest.
Grammar: Used before nouns like 'wisdom', 'philosophy' or 'humor'; it can be mildly disapproving or mildly approving depending on tone.
Patterns
- homespun wisdom
- homespun humor
The book is full of homespun advice about saving money.
His homespun philosophy appealed to readers tired of complicated theories.
Word forms
| comparative | more homespun |
|---|---|
| superlative | most homespun |
Common combinations
- homespun cloth
- The curtains were made of coarse homespun cloth.
- homespun wisdom
- Her grandmother offered homespun wisdom about patience.
- homespun humor
- The show's homespun humor won a wide audience.
- homespun yarn
- Local weavers still sell homespun yarn to tourists.
- a homespun tale
- He told a homespun tale about life on the farm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- handwoven
- Describes cloth made by hand but says nothing about where or how roughly; it is more neutral than 'homespun'.
- rustic
- Describes a simple country style; it fits buildings and decoration better than cloth.
- plain
- Means simple without decoration; it does not suggest homemade cloth.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: homespun or homemade?
homespun vs homemade
Means made at home in general, especially of food; 'homespun' is mainly about hand-woven cloth or a plain style.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'homespun' in its most common figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
'Homespun advice' means simple, plain wisdom, the usual figurative use. Leather and engines are not woven, and a voice is described by tone words, not by 'homespun'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “homespun”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.