as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people an op-ed piece that's offers nothing but warmed-over chestnuts for solving the city's financial woes

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chestnut
Noun
  • The old cliche about a blind squirrel seems apropos for this group.
    Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
  • All while staying far, far away from the tropes and cliches associated with your typical medical drama.
    Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The teenage Miller invited Horowitz to speak at Santa Monica High School in the early aughts, entranced by his bromides against multiculturalism.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
  • South Carolina and other states had in the past had difficulty obtaining some drugs for lethal injections, including sodium thiopental and pancuronium bromide, due to shortages.
    Kristin Wright, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The difficulty that arises is reminiscent of the old proverb about blind men groping different parts of an elephant.
    Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 6 May 2025
  • Even the most nonsensical attempts at new proverbs resulted in a confident explanation from Google's AI Overview, created right there on the spot.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Paul Feig explains Blake Lively 'curveball' in 'Another Simple Favor' 'Heart Eyes' The horror rom-com juggles the many tropes of both its genres, but this gory slasher romp also boasts an impressive mean streak, entertaining leads and an excellent hook.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Craig is self-reflective while being appropriately reverent to the tropes of the genre.
    Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • Democrats who look to California for inspiration would do well to keep that simple truism in mind.
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2025
  • All the players corroborate a truism: Politics attracts deformed personalities featuring an insatiable lust of power for the sake of power to fuel self-esteem.
    Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Inconsistency is to be expected, especially after injury and so few meaningful minutes for the first team, but the positive words are not just easy platitudes: he is genuinely considered to apply himself well in training and present himself with professionalism.
    Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
  • However, too often, sales kickoffs fall short of their potential, becoming mere exercises in rote presentations and motivational platitudes.
    Anjai Lal, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • There are quick but indelible glimpses of signs for the whites-only ticket booth, waiting room, and rest room; when Stack, seeing a white woman nearby, orders Sammie to avert his eyes and walk away, the screen shivers with the ambient terror underlying the banalities of segregation.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2025
  • And as his fellow nominees have trudged through the Q&As, Chalamet has largely eschewed the traditional banalities of awards season.
    Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • As the old saying goes, blood — and directorial instincts — are thicker than water.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • An old saying suggests a series isn’t a series until the road team wins a contest on the opponent’s home floor.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 8 May 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnut. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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