as in stereotyped
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 exhausted
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
Will Leitch, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The story revolves around this character in ways that feel hackneyed and forced.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Trauma is not a hackneyed literary trope in the work of Miriam Toews.
—Lorrie Moore, The New York Review of Books, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hackneyed
Adjective
This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The story revolves around this character in ways that feel hackneyed and forced.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Trauma is not a hackneyed literary trope in the work of Miriam Toews.
—Lorrie Moore, The New York Review of Books, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hackneyed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hackneyed
Adjective
-
In some cases, praise took on overtly stereotyped forms: words like 'love' were used disproportionately with female students, while 'powerful' appeared only for Black students.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Latinos are a fundamental part of American history and culture, and one of the largest communities in the United States, yet their presence in Hollywood has long been limited, stereotyped, or overlooked.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Cavaliers and Pistons have exhausted each other in a seven-game series that won’t end until Sunday, while the Knickerbockers have been off since last Sunday.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
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People are exhausted by the daily onslaught of bad headlines.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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The film, which stars Hannah Einbinder as a filmmaker tasked with revamping a tired summer camp horror franchise with its cryptic lead played by Gillian Anderson in tow, is set to make its way to theaters this August.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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Each day, after teaching classes for a local extension office, taking online courses and caring for everyone, Denise is just tired.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Over the past few years, Target has slipped from being a retail shining star to something far more commonplace.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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There’s something disturbing about watching these already commonplace delusions about ChatGPT — Your particular version has a soul!—
Vulture,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
Verb
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But in science, they have been especially overused.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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Turning Up the Heat Too High Too Fast High heat has its place, but it is often overused.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Major television shows have been accused of generating trite plot points using AI.—
Jamil Zaki,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
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Then, like a trite scene from a B-movie, my sister called.—
Kate Clark Stone,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The problem is, she’d be bored not working.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
-
Getting bored with rewearing the same pair of jeans over and over again?—
Sydney Pulaski,
Glamour,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
And overexposed to real estate.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Valuations for the funds last month dropped to their lowest since 2022 amid concerns that the lenders may be overexposed to software businesses under threat from AI disruption.—
Olivia Fishlow,
Bloomberg,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hackneyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hackneyed. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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