as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
An op-ed piece that offers nothing but warmed-over chestnuts for solving the city's financial woes.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chestnut
Noun
-
The same was true of the Dutch squad, and such situations have become something of a World Cup cliche, but in 1974 this was considered novel, and a sign that the sport had become overrun by financial interests, even at international level.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025 -
As cliche as seems, Eid wants the spirit of his father’s restaurant to carry over.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These letters are all like parodies of wokeness and DEI bromides.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
-
However, swapping out classic sodium chloride for sodium bromide is a solid way to give yourself acne, involuntary muscle spasms, and paranoid psychosis.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, Jeffrey Gahler has turned budget hearings into a sideshow by attacking McCord for scribbling a French version of a familiar proverb during an April meeting.—
Aegis reader commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Aug. 2025
-
In West African traditions, the drum serves as both a musical instrument and a talking messenger, transmitting proverbs, praises, and official announcements in a language that reinforces the chief’s authority and the community’s history.—
Felicia Appenteng,
semafor.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Shootings have effectively become their own memes, with their own viral tropes and signifiers.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
17 Sep. 2025
-
There are lots of simple ways to make this work other than the idiot ball trope.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That truism apparently extends to Switch modders as well, at least in the case of Ryan Daly.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
9 Sep. 2025
-
There is a truism that a good place to live is a good place to visit—and that relationship often creates a virtuous cycle of development.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 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
-
Bigelow’s work is procedural to its core, and that this film is a speculative what-if is made all the more horrifying because of its banality.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If Berríos and Eichmann had different personalities, for me ‘Black Cocaine’ is a film about the banality of evil versus total evil.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hats, t-shirts, jerseys, wristbands, belts, and much more featuring John Cena's logos and sayings are now available to fans.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Sep. 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
“Chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnut. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share