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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chestnut
Noun
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Mentality is the critical factor here because, as the cliche goes, the defining feature of any champion team is securing victory in the face of adversity or underperformance.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025 -
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
Noun
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There is an outright rejection of bromides that would give us some conclusion of reassurance.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
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Blood testing showed a bromide level that was hundreds of times above normal.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the other hand, perhaps this is one of those rare and unforeseen opportunities that give rise to the proverb of no guts, no glory.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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For centuries, the proverb has reminded us that seeing is believing.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Even if the plot is slightly predictable, there's no denying the inherent fun in watching a Stranger Things-esque time capsule tackle the genre's most hallmarked tropes with fresh eyes and a solid cast, including Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, and Zach Villa.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
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Campaign one followed the exploits of Vox Machina, and followed many linear aspects of The Lord of the Rings-style fantasy tropes.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One ironclad truism about sports is that all streaks eventually come to an end.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
2 Oct. 2025
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Vance and Miller spoke as if this were a truism.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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My first true attempts at poetry were self-guided, painfully rhymed, drenched in abstractions and exhausted platitudes.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
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His answers, typically, differ by just a few words and a few platitudes.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This punishing process, thread by thread, inch by inch, keeps luridness from sinking into banality.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
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Written by Noah Oppenheim, Bigelow’s real-time thriller about the banalities and actualities of a fictional-in-premise-only nuclear attack on the United States is Netflix’s best horse in the race at the Oscars this year.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The architect of the Phillies has a saying.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Little sayings like that get you through the rough patches.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnut. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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