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
  • The fire contained compounds from more than two dozen chemical families, including dangerous amounts of bromide, a naturally occurring element that can irritate the skin and mucus membranes.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
  • The bromide has been debunked, but there is power — and delight — in making coffee shop drinks at home.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 June 2026
Definition of bromide
Noun
  • There’s a football proverb so old that, well, good luck attempting to find its original source.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • The reason can be explained by a Japanese proverb about the importance of leaving no mess.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026
Definition of proverb
Noun
  • Though the familiar tropes of YA storytelling exist throughout, the series engages with the genre’s conventions earnestly and with sincerity, says Halsall.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The tropes that conceive of Africa, a 54-nation continent, as a tragic problem to be solved.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of trope
Noun
  • There’s a long-standing truism in the world of physical attacks that defenders need to succeed every time, but attackers need to succeed just once.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • There are, however, exceptions to this truism, which brings me to my brief personal list of best movie adaptations of great literature.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • Leaders must understand grief's unique, individual nature, avoiding assumptions or platitudes.
    — Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The shorter run time also means some themes get reduced into syrup; the platitudes come as fast and furious as Tao and Elle’s breakups and makeups, with too little space to breathe in between.
    — Gemma Wilson, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • Commentary and opinions In his latest column, Gustavo Arellano breaks down the banality of evil in the Border Patrol’s secret anti-immigrant slur.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media.
    — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • That brings us to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, a title gleaned from an Islamic saying about the care and love owed to mothers.
    — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The old saying about independent movies is that they are never finished.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • But a new shibboleth has seized the day.
    — Bruce Stockler, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 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 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chestnut

Nglish: Translation of chestnut for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chestnut

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