Definition of shibboleth
1 a
: a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning
- the old shibboleths come rolling off their lips
- —Joseph Epstein
b
: a widely held belief
- today this book publishing shibboleth is a myth
- —L. A. Wood
2 a
: a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group
- accent was … a shibboleth of social class
- —Vivian Ducat
b
: a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others
- for most of the well-to-do in the town, dinner was a shibboleth, its hour dividing mankind
- —Osbert Sitwell
