as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
it's hackneyed, but true—the more you save the more you earn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stereotyped
to use so much as to make less appealing
advertisers have hackneyed the word "revolutionary" so much that it now just means that a product is new
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hackneyed
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Its baleful guitar and hackneyed vocals make the average doubts shared by everyone who has ever been in love seem generic.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
The movie’s a little more hackneyed and obvious now, but its central idea is still an undeniably creepy one: possessed children with pitchforks.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Good news is bad news for investors, as the hackneyed phrase goes.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hackneyed
Adjective
Yet these hackneyed qualities are minor aspects of a production that otherwise can be eye-opening and newly invigorating.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Its baleful guitar and hackneyed vocals make the average doubts shared by everyone who has ever been in love seem generic.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
The movie’s a little more hackneyed and obvious now, but its central idea is still an undeniably creepy one: possessed children with pitchforks.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Good news is bad news for investors, as the hackneyed phrase goes.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hackneyed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hackneyed
Verb
-
For decades, the profession has been stereotyped as a world of calculators and spreadsheets, quietly humming in the background of business.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
-
This is, of course, a tremendously unfair characterization of the lunch lady, who, given her profession of feeding hungry children, ought to be stereotyped as saintly rather than monstrous.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Reed got her first gig at Cataloochee at the age of 19 in 1996 and has never tired of the work.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Manning’s inefficiency was on full display, and the Longhorns faithful grew tired of it during the first half.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Texans were up 28-21, and Keller had exhausted all of its timeouts.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Defense lawyers could still file appeals, but once those challenges are exhausted, the ruling becomes final and any prison terms can be enforced.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Annabelle has been in so many movies now, to the point of being overused (the real doll has even been suspected of paranormal activity recently).—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The redemption story is overused in sports, but Anisimova coming back from a double-bagel Wimbledon final defeat against Iga Świątek to beat the same player a couple of months later was extraordinary.—
The Athletic Tennis Staff,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Davis and his crew got bored and went to the liquor store.—
Gina Barton,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
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The first instinct when bored at work is to search for a new job.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
United’s decade-plus of footballing dysfunction owes a partial debt to hiring processes that can make sense in the moment, but leave head coaches overexposed.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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If most of your liabilities reprice simultaneously, you’re overexposed.—
Meelan Gupta,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hackneyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hackneyed. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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