Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sleeveless

/ˈsliːvlɪs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.89 in modern English

Syllables: sleeve-less
IPA: /ˈsliːvlɪs/

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of a garment, having no sleeves.

adj

Wanting a cover, pretext, or palliation; unreasonable; profitless; useless.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"She wore a short surcoat of scarlet, cut low around the shoulders, sleeveless, reaching just below her hips, like the tabards worn by medieval heralds. Over it she wore a laced-edged cotta."
"a sleeveless errand"
"might send that Greekish / whore-masterly villain with the sleeve back to the / dissembling luxurious drab of a sleeveless errand."
"1738-1741, William Warburton, The Divine Legation of Moses Demonstrated The vexation of a sleeveless errand."

Etymology

From Middle English slevelees, sleveles, from Old English slīeflēas (“sleeveless”), equivalent to sleeve + -less.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: slevelees, slīeflēas
Suffix: sleeve

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

sleaveless (alternative)

Derived Forms

sleevelessly sleevelessness

Synonyms

bootless fruitless futile vain

Questions

How do you pronounce sleeveless?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsliːvlɪs/.
What does sleeveless mean?: Of a garment, having no sleeves.
Where does sleeveless come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sleeveless

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sleeveless”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsliːvlɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sleeveless”.
Repeat and practice — Say “sleeveless” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.