Synonyms of hackneyed

hackneyed 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhak-nēd 

as in cliche

used or heard so often as to be dull

it's hackneyed, but true—the more you save the more you earn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cliche
• stereotyped
• tired
• commonplace
• clichéd
• trite
• shopworn
• cliché
• banal
• obligatory
• usual
• typical
• boring
• stale
• old
• timeworn
• hackney
• hack
• threadbare
• musty
• conventional
• well-worn
• tiring
• cardboard
• cobwebby
• dull
• derivative
• standard
• moth-eaten
• unimaginative
• ordinary
• bromidic
• platitudinous
• unoriginal
• uninspired
• dusty
• heavy
• weary
• normal
• rote
• imitative
• tiresome
• wearying
• vapid
• pedestrian
• tried-and-true
• tedious
• monotonous
• ready-made
• uninteresting
• canned
• prosaic
• drab
• dry
• wearisome
• humdrum
• tame
• stodgy
• routine
• jejune
• leaden
• ponderous
• dreary
• old-fashioned
• pedantic
• arid
• stock
• barren
• twice-told
• colorless
• cookie-cutter
• stuffy
• numbing
• undramatic
• ho-hum
• flat
• old hat
• mind-numbing
• platitudinal
• jading
• drudging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• original
• new
• novel
• fresh
• exciting
• unhackneyed
• interesting
• stimulating
• intriguing
• involving
• energizing
• engaging
• animating
• engrossing
• riveting
• gripping
• unusual
• unfamiliar
• strange
• absorbing
• extraordinary
• atypical
• unclichéd
• uncommon
• enlivening
• unknown
• invigorating
• unheard-of
• unprecedented
• galvanizing
• unaccustomed
• pioneering
• pathbreaking
• trailblazing

hackneyed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of hackney

as in stereotyped

to use so much as to make less appealing

advertisers have hackneyed the word "revolutionary" so much that it now just means that a product is new

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stereotyped
• exhausted
• popularized
• overused
• vulgarized
• bored
• overexposed
• tired
• depleted
• jaded
• wore out
• coarsened
• overdid

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective hackneyed differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of hackneyed are stereotyped, threadbare, and trite. While all these words mean "lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest," hackneyed stresses being worn out by overuse so as to become dull and meaningless.

all of the metaphors and images in the poem are hackneyed

When is stereotyped a more appropriate choice than hackneyed?

Although the words stereotyped and hackneyed have much in common, stereotyped implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form.

views of minorities that are stereotyped and out-of-date

When would threadbare be a good substitute for hackneyed?

The meanings of threadbare and hackneyed largely overlap; however, threadbare applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted.

a mystery novel with a threadbare plot

When might trite be a better fit than hackneyed?

While the synonyms trite and hackneyed are close in meaning, trite applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity.

"you win some, you lose some" is a trite expression

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hackneyed

Adjective

This hackneyed stance has turned his concert performances shrill and hollow. —Armond White, National Review, 28 May 2025

Yet these hackneyed qualities are minor aspects of a production that otherwise can be eye-opening and newly invigorating. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025

Its baleful guitar and hackneyed vocals make the average doubts shared by everyone who has ever been in love seem generic. —Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025

Which is a nauseatingly hackneyed and clichéd — not to mention stupefyingly reductive — type of statement to make about any kind of art or entertainment, of course. —Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

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