hackneyed

adjective hack·neyed \ ˈhak-nēd \

Updated on: 15 Nov 2017

Definition of hackneyed

: lacking in freshness or originality

hackneyed slogans

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Examples of hackneyed in a Sentence

it's hackneyed, but true—the more you save the more you earn

Recent Examples of hackneyed from the Web

The ending is so loaded with overwrought political rhetoric that even a massive tidal wave couldn’t wash away the hackneyed dialogue and unbelievable actions.

— rick bentley, Detroit Free Press, "Review: ‘Geostorm’ script drowns in a sea of politics," 20 Oct. 2017
But instead the melodrama amplifies to an appallingly hackneyed crescendo.

— geraldine brooks, New York Times, "In Orhan Pamuk’s New Novel, a Youthful Obsession Yields a Haunted Life," 16 Oct. 2017
No doubt many of your readers will seize on the quote about millennials being less ‘DIY’ to reinforce their hackneyed stereotypes about millennial fragility.

— gerard baker, WSJ, "The 10-Point.," 11 Oct. 2017
The hackneyed Carl Bernstein, worn down by the disingenuousness of years, is urging them out of the trenches one more time.

— conrad black, National Review, "The Steele Dossier Is Still Absurd," 11 Oct. 2017
Arguably the luxury industry’s most hackneyed adjective is ‘timeless’, and in one of the posters for the eau de toilette Portman strikes an ahistorical pose of feminine allure.

— Longreads, "Is the Internet Changing Time?," 3 Oct. 2017
During what resembled a clip of a psychological thriller, guest host Ryan Gosling played a man deeply disturbed that the movie Avatar used the hackneyed Papyrus font as its logo.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Kaepernick Protest Comes to SNL," 1 Oct. 2017
Its depiction of Salinger’s probable PTSD, the product of his service in World War II, is almost insultingly hackneyed.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "Review: ‘Rebel in the Rye’ Looks at the Creation of Salinger’s Classic," 7 Sep. 2017
Joshua Roberts/Reuters To walk into the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning was less to enter an ongoing, real-life debate of mysterious outcome than to assume your role in a hackneyed script.

— jim newell, Slate Magazine, "Dissent is all part of the script. Trumpcare is right where Republicans want it.," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hackneyed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Does hackney Come From the Name of an English Town?

Hackney entered the English language in the 14th century as a noun. Some think perhaps it came from "Hakeneye" (now "Hackney"), the name of a town (now a borough) in England. Others dispute this explanation, pointing to similar forms in other European languages. The noun "hackney," in any case, refers to a horse suitable for ordinary riding or driving-as opposed to one used as a draft animal or a war charger. When "hackney" was first used as a verb in the late 16th century, it often meant "to make common or frequent use of." Later, it meant "to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace." The adjective "hackneyed" began to be used in the 18th century and now is a common synonym for "trite."

Origin and Etymology of hackneyed

see ¹hackney

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First Known Use: 1735

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hackneyed Synonyms

Synonyms

banal, cliché (also cliche), clichéd, cobwebby, commonplace, hack, hackney, stale, moth-eaten, musty, obligatory, shopworn, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn

Antonyms

fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed

Near Antonyms

animating, energizing, enlivening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, stimulating; absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting; atypical, extraordinary, strange, unaccustomed, uncommon, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented, unusual; pathbreaking, pioneering, trailblazing

Synonym Discussion of hackneyed

trite, hackneyed, stereotyped, threadbare mean lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest. trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.