fitted
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
Fitted, tailored, close-fitting, and shaped all describe something cut to a particular form, but they differ in scope and connotation. Fitted is the broadest term: a fitted sheet, a fitted jacket, or fitted furniture all follow the contours of their intended object. Tailored is narrower — it implies professional adjustment made by a tailor to a single person's body measurements, so a tailored suit costs more than a fitted one off the rack. Close-fitting emphasises how snugly something hugs the body; it is rarely used for furniture or bedding. Shaped is the most general and can describe anything — a shaped cushion, a shaped handle — without implying a perfect match to a body or space. In practice: 'She wore a fitted dress' (off-the-rack, follows her curves), 'She wore a tailored dress' (made-to-measure), 'She wore a close-fitting dress' (very tight), 'The dress had a shaped waist' (only the waist area curves in).
Common collocations
Nouns
- fitted kitchen
- fitted wardrobe
- fitted sheet
- fitted jacket
- fitted blazer
- fitted cupboard
- fitted carpet
- fitted furniture
Adverbs
- perfectly fitted
- specially fitted
- tightly fitted
- badly fitted
- well fitted
Phrases
- fitted with [equipment/feature]
- fitted for [purpose/role]
Prepositions
- fitted for
- fitted with
- fitted to
Etymology
Fitted originated as the past participle of the verb fit, which came into English from early Scandinavian (compare Old Norse fitja, meaning 'to knit or put in place'). The adjective developed in the 16th–17th centuries, first describing clothes that were 'made to fit' a person. By the 19th century, the sense of 'permanently installed furniture' emerged, especially in British English home-design contexts. The sense of 'suitable or qualified' extended the idea of being correctly matched to a role.