variants
or schlocky
also shlock
or shlocky
as in cheap
of low quality
a tourist trap selling schlock souvenirs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of schlock
Well, people have always written schlocky or formulaic books.
—
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 June 2026
Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026
Deliberately schlocky and over-the-top, the production is a mere backdrop for the psychodrama happening off set between Elle and her costar Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), a girl her own age who’s also unfortunately her stepmother.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
Quentin Tarantino’s outrageous revisionist Western is wildly over-the-top, combining the director’s penchant for gratuitous violence and sparkling dialogue with a story that’s pleasingly labyrinthine but nothing if not schlocky.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
But that shift is still recent, and decades of cultural baggage — from sexist slasher stereotypes to schlocky late-night programming — continue to shape perception.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
The film finally returns to Dracula’s castle, where four stone gargoyles come to life, and where there is bad swordplay, schlocky cannon fire, and a fortune-cookie theological lecture from Waltz’s Priest.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
In one of the most heartwarming sequences a flashback shows these young film buffs shooting one of their shlocky Big Foot-esque monster movies.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
For one thing, it was produced for half a million dollars, resulting a charmingly schlocky and handmade product that greatly appealed to kids hoping to get into the business one day.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 June 2026
Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026
Deliberately schlocky and over-the-top, the production is a mere backdrop for the psychodrama happening off set between Elle and her costar Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), a girl her own age who’s also unfortunately her stepmother.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
Quentin Tarantino’s outrageous revisionist Western is wildly over-the-top, combining the director’s penchant for gratuitous violence and sparkling dialogue with a story that’s pleasingly labyrinthine but nothing if not schlocky.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
But that shift is still recent, and decades of cultural baggage — from sexist slasher stereotypes to schlocky late-night programming — continue to shape perception.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
The film finally returns to Dracula’s castle, where four stone gargoyles come to life, and where there is bad swordplay, schlocky cannon fire, and a fortune-cookie theological lecture from Waltz’s Priest.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
In one of the most heartwarming sequences a flashback shows these young film buffs shooting one of their shlocky Big Foot-esque monster movies.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
For one thing, it was produced for half a million dollars, resulting a charmingly schlocky and handmade product that greatly appealed to kids hoping to get into the business one day.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schlock
Adjective
-
Analyst Seth Seifman said in a note that the stock still isn’t cheap — with Kratos trading at 76 times forward earnings — but notes that investors have been awarding high-growth companies in this sector with elevated premiums.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
-
While countries highlighted in a new report of summer’s top travel destinations may not come as a surprise, the data also revealed ways to get there for cheaper.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
-
The heroes who save us from these awful, terrible music haters do so with force.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
These conditions can increase your vulnerability to adverse effects from poor air quality.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
-
Equating the Holocaust to Gaza is in extremely poor taste.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
That makes for a more compelling value proposition, useful in daily life, versus a more specialized machine with inferior performance.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
-
People mock Americans for using the word because the rest of the world likes a chance to make the superpower feel inferior.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs and ammonia gives off notes of urine, sweat or dead fish.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
-
Then there was the rotten-egg smell.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brunson is at his best when everything is at its worst, blessed with belief that seems at times desperate and determination that can feel almost manic.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
All of the club’s worst seasons prior to 1965 took place from 1932 and before.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Schlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schlock. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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