noun

cardboard

KAHD-bawd

noun

A stiff, heavy paper material used to make boxes and packaging.

"They packed the dishes in a large cardboard box."

adj

Lacking depth or realism; flat and unconvincing.

"Critics complained the movie's villain felt like a cardboard character."

How to Use Cardboard

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishStiff, thick paper used for boxes — or, describing something, flat and unconvincing (like a poorly written character).

Common pairings

cardboard box cardboard cutout cardboard character

cardboards plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

They packed the dishes in a large _____ box.

A compound of "card" (in the old sense of stiff paper) and "board."

board hoard aboard onboard keyboard cupboard outboard seaboard backboard starboard surfboard clipboard