chestnut

noun

ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət How to pronounce chestnut (audio)
Definition of chestnutnext
as in bromide
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
  1. bromide
  2. proverb
  3. trope
  4. truism
  5. platitude
  6. banality
  7. saying
  8. shibboleth
Noun
  • At the time, the state used a three-drug execution protocol of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The protocol involved an administration of an anesthetic, sodium thiopental, followed by pancuronium bromide, a paralytic agent, and finally by potassium chloride to stop the heart, all in much higher doses than they’re typically used.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bromide
Noun
  • In American sports, namely college and professional football, head coaches often land on one singular proverb after a victory.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The underlying lesson of the proverb dates back at least to the time of the first Olympics in Greece — nearly 3,000 years ago, for those counting at home.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of proverb
Noun
  • Enemies may often become allies — one of my favorite narrative tropes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, the novelist Tom McCarthy has dismantled the tropes of realist fiction.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of trope
Noun
  • With all the hype surrounding potential uses of AI tools, this is a truism that too often gets forgotten.
    — Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • Hughes offered the usual interview platitudes and seemed to be pleased with how his team was playing.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the platitudes offered by Sakic for Bednar and Bednar for Sakic ignore the Avs’ 20-18 playoff record since winning the cup.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • Isn’t the saying that a tight end is a young quarterback’s best friend?
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • That saying, however, turns out to be true on a number of levels, with an increasing volume of research supporting the statement.
    — Will Boyd, Baltimore Sun, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • Brock, like other great chefs of his generation, understand that the cuisines of the South are neither monoliths nor shibboleths.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But a new shibboleth has seized the day.
    — Bruce Stockler, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of shibboleth
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.

Browse Nearby Words

chesterfields
chestnut
chestnuts
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Cite this Entry

“Chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnut. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chestnut

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chestnut

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