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
Noun
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Disruption without construction Instructors burned out with the current situation endure a barrage of repetitive bromides.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026 -
The bromide has it that a liberal is a person who won’t take his own side in an argument.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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What does the phrase squeaky bum time, the racehorse Devon Loch, and the Portuguese proverb ‘morrer na prais’ all have in common?—
Ian Irving,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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The rooms The old Japanese proverb ‘*kachou fuugetsu’—*which translates as ‘flower, bird, wind, moon’ evoking a sense of the transient beauty of nature—is a key concept at the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Much of Orbán’s criticism of the Central European University has been directed personally at George Soros, who is Jewish, often deploying antisemitic tropes in what has become a crusade against the billionaire philanthropist.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
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Because another person will perpetuate the same tropes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
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But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.—
ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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Donovan reiterated a series of platitudes that haven’t changed during his time with the Bulls.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the last few decades, that swagger seems to have collapsed under the weight of a tepid banality.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The old saying about the Masters is that the tournament doesn’t truly begin until the back nine on Sunday.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
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There’s an old saying that goes something like the poet needs the imagination of a scientist, and the scientist needs the precision of the poet.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But a new shibboleth has seized the day.—
Bruce Stockler,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnut. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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