1
as in slogans
an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product)
we knew that their claim of giving "the best deal in town" was just a shibboleth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in cliches
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
there's a lot of truth in the shibboleth that if you give some people an inch, they'll take a mile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shibboleths
Noun
-
Chicken Jockey The Minecraft Movie was a huge hit among teens and tweens, who were chanting memes and slogans from the movie for months after its release.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
18 Sep. 2025 -
The department declined to confirm the slogans on the banners.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
New novels are rightly praised for breaking with traditional forms and criticized for turning to stale formulas and cliches.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Just really not going to sit here and give some cliches.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Jack Taylor/Getty Images Protesters hold banners and placards during the state visit by the President of the United States of America at Windsor Castle on September 17, 2025 in Windsor, England.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
On the same day, thousands of demonstrators made their way through the streets of London, hoisting signs, flying flags and carrying banners to make their opposition to Trump known.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When asked to divulge what gave him confidence in Volpe long term, Cashman did not point to any specifics but rather platitudes that have not mounted to much success three years into the shortstop’s career.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
These kumbaya platitudes feel out of place when battered and bloody boys are dropping like flies, but that works to the film’s advantage, laying the groundwork for the final rug-pull.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Those well-versed in cinematic tropes will know that these two are bound to spend time together outside of the dental office.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The problem is that Tipping — using lots of quick cuts, booming music cues, flashing X-rays of injuries and occult-style voodoo horror tropes — fails to run up any numbers on the scoreboard.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Incidents of such poisoning saw a sharp decline when the Food and Drug Administration phased out the use of bromides in pharmaceuticals between the mid 70s and late 1980s.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Shibboleths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleths. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share