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• s  showing signs of wear and tear
• s  worn or eaten away by (or as if by) moths
  moth-eaten blankets
• s  lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new
  moth-eaten theories about race

• Now, if we want to pin down poshlost in contemporary writing we must look for it in Freudian symbolism, moth-eaten mythologies, social comment, humanistic messages, political .
• To our recent guests, "the slightly moth-eaten Prince Charming, the fading Juliet," one shamed American's apology.
• Though it may no longer teem with tigers except for the stuffed, moth-eaten relic languishing in the visitors' center there are plenty of gibbons, deer and colorful birds .

• ratty
• shabby
• tatty
• mothy
• cold
• stale
• dusty

News & Articles

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• Front Porch: Finding balance between hoarding, heaving - Sat, 11 Jan 2014 PST
  Some people get the breaks. For a fictional example, let’s say eccentric Great Aunt Matilda dies leaving a full attic. Armed with trash bags, the family wades through the detritus of generations, sneezing as they dig through moth-eaten clothing, chipped lamps, worn rugs and knickknacks. Good grief, did Auntie never toss out anything?
  Jan. 11, 2014 - The Spokesman-Review

Quotes

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• MJ Akbar in Rediff
  Akbar said, "Jinnah accepted a moth-eaten Pakistan, but Nehru refused to accept a moth-eaten India."
• Ardeshir Cowasjee in Los Angeles Times
  Cowasjee writes about the nation as "this moth-eaten country of ours" and "the floundering Islamic Republic of Pakistan," and about his city as "the battered and abused city of Karachi."
• John Smart in Independent
  He shared the reading with Richard Burton, who turned up in a Rolls-Royce and declaimed the lines very powerfully,says Smart. "Auden himself shuffled on stage in carpet slippers, pulled a pallid sheaf of moth-eaten poems from his pocket...