Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

hackney

play
noun hack·ney \ˈhak-nē\

Definition of hackney

plural

hackneys

  1. 1a :  a horse suitable for ordinary riding or drivingb :  a trotting horse used chiefly for drivingc often capitalized :  any of an English breed of rather compact usually chestnut, bay, or brown high-stepping horses

  2. 2 obsolete :  one that works for hire

  3. 3 :  a carriage or automobile kept for hire

See hackney defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-5978a79b75e17
Trending: 'Transgender' Americans Face New Restrictions
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz
alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'
image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Illustration of hackney

Origin and Etymology of hackney

Middle English hakeney

2

hackney

adjective hack·ney

Definition of hackney

  1. 1 :  kept for public hire

  2. 2 :  hackneyed

  3. 3 archaic :  done or suitable for doing by a drudge

Examples of hackney in a Sentence

  1. she quickly learned to ignore her children's hackney complaints like “It isn't fair” and “Why me?”

First Known Use of hackney

1589

hackney Synonyms

Synonyms
banal, cliché (also cliche), clichéd, cobwebby, commonplace, hack, stale, hackneyed, moth-eaten, musty, obligatory, shopworn, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn
Antonyms
fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed
Related Words
twice-told; bromidic, platitudinal, platitudinous; canned, cardboard, conventional, cookie-cutter, derivative, imitative, ready-made, tried-and-true, unimaginative, uninspired, unoriginal; normal, ordinary, rote, routine, standard, stock, typical, usual; arid, barren, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monotonous, numbing, old, pedantic, pedestrian, ponderous, prosaic, stodgy, stuffy, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, undramatic, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying; old-fashioned, old hat
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
3

hackney

verb hack·ney

Definition of hackney

hackneyed

;

hackneying
  1. transitive verb

  2. 1a :  to make common or frequent use ofb :  to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace

  3. 2 archaic :  to make sophisticated or jaded

Examples of hackney in a Sentence

  1. advertisers have hackneyed the word “revolutionary” so much that it now just means that a product is new

First Known Use of hackney

1596

hackney Synonyms

Synonyms
overexpose, overuse, stereotype, vulgarize
Related Words
bore, exhaust, overdo; coarsen; deplete, jade, tire, wear out; popularize

Hackney

play
geographical name Hack·ney \ˈhak-nē\

Definition of Hackney

  1. borough of northern Greater London, England population 250,000

HACKNEY Defined for Kids

hackney

play
noun hack·ney \ˈhak-nē\

Definition of hackney for Students

plural

hackneys

  1. :  a horse for ordinary riding or driving

Learn More about hackney

  1. See words that rhyme with hackney Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hackney Spanish Central: Translation of hackney Nglish: Translation of hackney for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hackney for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hackney

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up hackney? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

akimbo

play

set in a bent position

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

hackney

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game
Examples: hackney in a Sentence