Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

hackney

play
noun hack·ney \ ˈhak-nē \
Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of hackney

plural hackneys
1 a :a horse suitable for ordinary riding or driving
b :a trotting horse used chiefly for driving
c often capitalized :any of an English breed of rather compact usually chestnut, bay, or brown high-stepping horses
2 obsolete :one that works for hire
3 :a carriage or automobile kept for hire

See hackney defined for kids

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image2143067130
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins
alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Illustration of hackney

Origin and Etymology of hackney

Middle English hakeney

2

hackney

adjective

Definition of hackney

1 :kept for public hire
2 :hackneyed
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

15th century

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

Definition of hackney

hackneyed; hackneying
transitive verb
1 a :to make common or frequent use of
b :to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace
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

Recent Examples of hackney from the Web

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

First Known Use of hackney

15th century

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

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
: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

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  3. allegory No spoilers!

  4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

  5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

hackney

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

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-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1
Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

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

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game
Examples: hackney in a Sentence