tailor-made

adjective

Made by a tailor, especially if made to order; bespoke.

Meanings

adjectivetailor-made (not comparable)
  1. not comparableMade by a tailor, especially if made to order; bespoke.
  2. not comparablePerfectly appropriate to some specific occasion or purpose; made to one's specific requirements.

    Any local businesses looking to use rail freight now have a tailor-made facility ready and waiting.

    2023 December 27, Richard Foster, “New rail freight terminal leads the way”, in RAIL, number 999, page 41
verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of tailor-make
nountailor-made (plural tailor-mades)

plural tailor-mades

  1. A piece of clothing made by a tailor; (specifically), a dress made by a tailor rather than by a dressmaker, and hence plainer in style.

    Leonora always appeared to me at her best in a blue tailor-made.

    1915, Ford Madox Hueffer [i.e., Ford Madox Ford], chapter I, in The Good Soldier […], London: John Lane, The Bodley Head; New York, N.Y.: John Lane Company, →OCLC
    3 more examples

    A breitschwantz stole edged with ermine is knotted over this black woollen tailor-made.

    1952, Art et la Mode, volume 74

    She was in a black tailor-made. A wide-mesh veil came down from the rim of a small black straw hat.

    1954, Ian Fleming, “The Silver Phantom”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 96

    ‘But you must remember, Bili, that now in Paris you can practically go to a ball in a tailormade.’

    1973, Christina Stead, The Little Hotel, Text Classics, published 2016, page 119
  2. slangSynonym of civvy (“manufactured cigarette”).

    Synonyms: civvy

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of civvy (“manufactured cigarette”).

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjective(of clothing) custom-made

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan fet a mida
  • fet a midamade to specific requirements
Danish skræddersyet
  • skræddersyetmade to specific requirements
Dutch op maat (gemaakt), maat-
  • op maat (gemaakt)made to specific requirements
  • maat-made to specific requirements
Finnish räätälin tekemä, räätälöity
  • räätälin tekemämade by a tailor
  • räätälöitymade to specific requirements
German maßgeschneidert, maßgeschneidert
  • maßgeschneidertmade by a tailor
  • maßgeschneidertmade to specific requirements
Greek κατά παραγγελία, επί παραγγελία
  • κατά παραγγελία (katá parangelía)made to specific requirements
  • επί παραγγελία (epí parangelía)made to specific requirements
  • εξατομικευμένος (exatomikevménos)made to specific requirements
Polish szyty na miarę, szyty na miarę
  • szyty na miaręmade by a tailor
  • szyty na miaręmade to specific requirements
Spanish hecho / confeccionado por sastre, hecho / confeccionado a medida
  • hecho / confeccionado por sastremade by a tailor
  • hecho / confeccionado a medidamade to specific requirements
  • hecho / confeccionado a la medidamade to specific requirements
Swedish skräddarsydd, måttbeställd
  • skräddarsyddmade by a tailor
  • måttbeställdmade by a tailor
  • skräddarsyddmade to specific requirements
  • specialanpassadmade to specific requirements
Cite this entry
APA

tailor-made. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailor-made

MLA

“tailor-made.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailor-made. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tailor-made,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailor-made.

Source: tailor-made on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.