thneed

Definitions

A useless product which is advertised as being needed by everybody, but which in fact no one needs.

Examples

“Do You Really, I Mean⟳ REALLY, Need⟳ a Thneed?”

“I needed orange juice, a toothbrush, a blood transfusion, a Bloody Mary, Abigale Ponders, Leslie Cunningham, a Thneed, someone to watch⟳ over me, a miracle every day—anything but a moment of truth between myself and Zelmo Swift.”

“Call⟳ now—the remarkable 'thneed' is available only while supplies last⟳...””

“I saw⟳ someone call⟳ AI a Thneed and I can't stop⟳ thinking about it. It's a PERFECT analogy. The Thneed was an all-purpose tool that didn't do anything really useful. It was a fad that did major damage⟳ to the environment to make⟳ the Onceler a billionare. It left no real lasting impact, only damage⟳.”

CEFR level