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Suffix · forms adjectives

-clad

covered or clothed in a specified material or substance; wearing or enveloped in something

In Spanish: cubierto de / revestido de / vestido deLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated June 2026

What this suffix does

-clad forms compound adjectives that describe being covered, clothed, or encased in a specified material. Armour-clad, ivy-clad, snow-clad, iron-clad, scantily clad — each compound creates a visual image of something wrapped, protected, or adorned by a substance. "-clad" is deeply literary and poetic, rooted in Old English and Germanic traditions where "clad" (from "clothe") applied to anything from armour to vegetation. It persists most strongly in poetry, high-register prose, nature writing, and historical narrative. In everyday speech it survives mainly in "ironclad" and "scantily clad".

How it is pronounced

-clad

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -clad
In a phrase
  • ivyivy-cladThe ivy-clad walls of the old library had absorbed centuries of silence and rain.
  • ironironcladThe ironclad agreement left no room for either party to withdraw without significant penalty.
  • snowsnow-cladThe snow-clad peaks had not been visible for weeks through the cloud cover.
  • armourarmour-cladThe armour-clad knights waited at the edge of the field as the negotiations inside the tent continued.
  • scantilyscantily cladThe scantily clad figures in the advertisement drew complaints from several consumer groups.

Common mistakes

-clad is interchangeable with -covered
-clad is more literary and poetic than -covered

"-covered" is neutral and factual ("snow-covered mountains"). "-clad" carries a much stronger literary charge — it evokes clothing, protection, and encasement in a way that feels deliberate and even solemn. "Snow-clad" suggests the mountains are wearing their snow as a garment; "snow-covered" simply describes a surface. Use -clad when you want the poetic, literary register; use -covered for neutral description.

ironclad = made of iron
ironclad (figurative) = so firm and complete that nothing can break through it

"Ironclad" in figurative use does not mean "made of iron." It means so firm, complete, and invulnerable to challenge that it resembles iron armour. An "ironclad agreement" cannot be broken; an "ironclad alibi" cannot be disproved; an "ironclad case" cannot be defeated in court. The iron is metaphorical: it describes invulnerability to attack or revision.

A trick to remember it

-clad is one of the most evocative compound elements in literary English precisely because it applies clothing to things that do not literally wear clothes. When a wall is "ivy-clad" the ivy has become its garment; when a mountain is "snow-clad" the snow is its robe. This personification through clothing is a form of poetic compression that elevates description instantly. Prose that uses -clad compounds signals seriousness of purpose and awareness of literary tradition.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ towers of the university had stood on that hill since the fourteenth century." (covered in the climbing plant that grows up old stone buildings)

Hint: Ivy + clad = clothed in ivy; covered by the climbing plant.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"The ironclad alibi meant no charge could possibly stand." What does "ironclad" mean here?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ peaks reflected the last light of the afternoon sun." (covered in snow; wearing snow like a white garment)

Hint: Snow + clad = dressed in snow; covered by a layer of snow.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -clad mean in English?

The suffix -clad covered or clothed in a specified material or substance; wearing or enveloped in something In Spanish it usually maps to cubierto de / revestido de / vestido de.

Can you give an example of a word with -clad?

"ivy" becomes "ivy-clad". It is a typical example of the -clad suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -laden

    carrying a heavy load of; burdened or weighed down with

  • -ridden

    Forms adjectives describing something persistently dominated or plagued by something negative: guilt-ridden, debt-ridden, crime-ridden, anxiety-ridden, corruption-ridden.

  • -worn

    damaged, exhausted, or diminished through prolonged exposure to or use of

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

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